IDDY 


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THE  BIDDY  CLUB:  and  hoiv 

ITS  MEMBERS,  WISE  AND  OTHERIVISE, 
SOME  TOUGHENED  AND  SOME  TENDER- 
FOOTED  IN  THE  RUGGED  WAYS  OF 
HOUSEKEEPING,  GRAPPLED   WITH  THE 

TROUBLOUS  SERVANT   DUES- 

TION,  TO  THE  GREAT  A  Dl^ ANT  AGE 
OF  THEMSELJ/ES,  AND,  AS  THEY  HOPE, 
OF  MANY  OTHERS. 


By 
GRIFFITH  A.   NICHOLAS. 


CHIC  A  G  O  : 

A.    C.   McCLURG    AND    COMPANY. 
1888. 


Copyright 
By  a.  C.  McClurg  and  Company. 
A.D.  1887. 


TABLE    OF    CONTENTS. 


CHAPTER  I. 

Why  and  how  the  club  was  formed 

CHAPTER  n. 
Some  personalities     ..... 


PAGE 


CHAPTER   HI. 

A   YOUNG   housekeeper's    EXPERIENCES. 

Training  of  mistresses.  —  A  few  weeks'  apprentice- 
ship   ... 34 

CHAPTER    IV. 

SELECTING   AND    MANAGING    SERVANTS. 

Kitchen  conveniences.  —  Kind  of  servant  to  avoid.  — 
Servants'  dress.  —  Servants'  time  out.  —  Order  of 
work.  —  Preparation  for  Sunday.  —  Easy  sup- 
pers. —  Children's  diet.  —  Table  service.  —  Serv- 
ing of  meals.  —  Servants  replacing  dishes  they 
break.  —  How  to  select  a  good  servant.  —  Ser- 
vants' uniform 5' 


vi  TABLE   OF  CONTENTS. 

CHAPTER    V. 

SOME   DIFFICULT   PROBLEMS. 

PAGE 

Servants'  personal  care.  —  Independence  in  matter  of 
rules.  —  Good  servants  in  preference  to  expensive 
dress  or  handsome  furniture.  —  A  popular  fallacy 
on  the  subject  of  motherly  devotion.  —  Training  a 
nurse.  —  The  needs  of  older  children 73 


CHAPTER  VI. 

SCIENTIFIC     HOUSEKEEPING. 

Political  and  domestic  economy.  —  Hamerton  on  diet. 
—  How  to  avert  some  housekeeping  troubles.  — 
How  to  economize  intelligently.  —  An  inexpensive 
table.  —  Recipes  for  salads.  —  A  pretty  dish    .     .     90 


CHAPTER  Vn. 

MONEY    MATTERS. 

Woman's  rights  in  financial  affairs. —Ante-nuptial 
arrangements.  —  Partnership.  —  Distinction  be- 
tween a  gift  and  the  right  by  earning.  —  A  moneyed 
arrangement.  —  Another  family's  way.  —  Proper 
steps  to  take.  —  Small  men.  —  Husband  and  wife 
equal  partners.  —  The  "Nation"  on  the  liabihty 
of  a  woman ^°4 


TABLE   OF  CONTENTS.  vii 

CHAPTER   VIII. 

THE   servants'    SIDE. 

PACE 

Teaching  a  servant  system.  —  Servants'  evenings.  — 
Mistresses  to  blame  for  most  of  the  present  evils. 
—  Hours  of  servants'  labor.  —  Wages.  —  Board.  — 
Beecher  on  slavery.  —  Graded  wages.  —  Plan  for 
people  of  small  means.  —  Skilled  service.  —  Pay 
for  women  who  w^ork  by  the  day  or  job.  —  Increas- 
ing wages.  —  Understanding  when  engaging  a 
servant 125 


CHAPTER   IX. 

servants'    LEISURE   TIME. 

Servants'  objection  to  living  out  from  town.  —  Night 
work.  —  Evenings  at  home.  —  Servants'  company. 
—  Their  leisure  absolutely  theirs.  —  When  mis- 
tresses become  the  slaves  of  their  servants  .     .     .    145 

CHAPTER    X. 

HONOR   ABOVE   AND   BELOW   ST.A.IRS. 

Article  on  shop-girls.  —  Caste.  —  Mistaken  ideas  of 
foreigners  relative  to  caste  in  America.  —  A  lesson 
on  caste.  — ■  Laxity  in  keeping  promises.  —  Signifi- 
cance of  a  contract.  —  Where  girls  can  find  a  home 
and  earn  moderate  wages.  —  Dishonorable  mis- 
tresses.—  Searching  a  servant's  trunk.  —  Trying 
to  save  a  dishonest  servant •     ■   '53 


viu  TABLE   OF  CONTENTS. 

CHAPTER   XI. 

BRAINS    IN    HOUSEKEEPING. 

PAGE 

Perfect  servants.  —  Choice  of  faults.  —  Good  house- 
keeping brain-work.  —  System.  —  How  to  learn 
system.  —  Proper  care  of  children.  —  Proper  cloth- 
ing. —  Little  girls'  exercise.  —  Outline  of  a  busy 
systematic  day.  —  Keeping  children  healthy.  — 
Wasting  time  and  strength  on  calls.  —  Children 
trained  to  make  trouble.  —  Social  duties  to  one's 
neighbors.  — Emerson  on  length  of  calls.  — How 
to  make  the  most  of  time.  —  Delightful  social 
evenings 173 

CHAPTER   XII. 

A  mother's  rights  and  dlties. 

"  The  Sad  Fortunes  of  the  Reverend  Amos  Barton." 

—  How  Dickens  paints  wrongs.  —  '•  Spectator  " 
on  unnecessary  sacrifice.  —  A  mother's  duty 
toward  other  women  in  training  her  sons.  —  Over- 
population a  problem  of  the  near  future.  —  The 
burial  of  a  talent.  —  A  union  of  heart  and  brains. 

—  Women  chiefly  responsible.  —  Public  schools  191 

CHAPTER   Xni. 

METHODS    OF   HOME    GOXTIRN'MENT. 

A  thorough  understanding.  —  Praise  as  an  instru- 
ment of  government.  —  Awins;  servants.  —  How 
to  avoid  impertinence.  —  How  to  call  out  imper- 
tinence. —  Occasions  for  discipline.  —  Improve- 
ment of  servants'  character.  —  A  Southern  lady's 
wav -C4 


TABLE   OF  CONTENTS.  ix 

CHAPTER   XIV. 

CARE  FOR  servants'  CHARACIER. 

PAGE 

Servants'  vacations.  —  Co-partnership.  — Developing 
self-respect. —  Making  economy  dignified.  — "Styl- 
ish "  extravagance.  —  Untruthful  servants.  —  Slow 
servants.  —  Religious  training.  —  Narrowness  in 
theology.  —  Love  and  liberty 222 


CHAPTER   XV. 

HOMES,    NOT    HOUSES. 

Various  kinds  of  conversation.  —  The  great  within 
the  small.  —  Keeping  homes,  not  houses.  —  Of 
what  women  do  not  talk.  — Along  the  lake-shore. 
—  Home 236 


CHAPTER   XVI. 

servants'   TABLES,    WITH    AN   INTERRUPTION. 

Servants'  tables.  —  Uninterrupted  meals.  —  Good 
cold  dinner  dishes  for  summer.  —  Sitting-room  for 
servants.  —  Servants  objects  for  charitable  work. 

—  Servants'  bedroom.  —  Children's  need  to  be 
incited  to  good  conduct.  —  "  North  American  Re- 
view "  on  Practical  Penology.  —  Effect  of  the  ser- 
vant trouble  on  people  at  large.  — A  broken  man. 

—  Finding  work. — A  lady-like  accomplishment.   248 


X  TABLE  OF  CONTENTS. 

CHAPTER   XVII. 

SIMPLIFYING    LIFE. 

PAGE 

Simplifying  life.  —  Diminishing  the  burdens  of  mar- 
ried life.  —  Behind  the  age.  —  "  Our  Country  "  on 
intemperance.  —  A  flexible  system.  —  Capacity 
for  management. —  Idle  chattering.  —  A  -n-ell- 
ordered  family.  —  Practical  knowledge.  —  Min- 
gling of  kindness  and  dignity.  —  Hard  features  of  a 
servant's  work.  —  Overburdened  wives  and  moth- 
ers. —  GasoHne  ranges 270 

CHAPTER    XVni. 

ONE    THING    AT    A    TIME. 

Concentration  of  thought  and  aim.  —  Recipe  for  pre- 
serving youth  and  health.  —  Policy  of  treating  ser- 
vants well.  —  Convalescence.  —  Sympathy  from 
servants.  —  Rewarding  servants.  — •  Servants' 
Christmas.  —  Great  beauty  at  small  expense.  — 
Motion  to  adjourn 286 

CHAPTER   XIX. 

SOME    GOOD    RESOLUTIONS. 

Laxity  in  the  last  meeting.  —  Value  of  a  good  ser- 
vant. —  Vote  of  thanks.  —  Effect  of  Club    .     .     .  300 


THE    BIDDY   CLUB. 


LONG  BEACH    L..j£: 
FOR  THE  HARD  Of  HEARING 


THE  BIDDY  CLUB. 


CHAPTER   I. 

WHY   AND    HOW    IT    WAS   FORMED. 

I  WAS  sitting  in  my  study  one  spring  morn- 
ing, suffering  from  that  state  of  depression 
which  generally  follows  undue  exhilaration.  This 
depression  was  not  without  real  cause,  as  will  be 
understood  when  I  say  that  I  held  in  my  hand  a 
rejected  manuscript.  I  had  built  an  airy  castle 
upon  this  article,  which  was  an  attempt  to  prove 
that  it  was  not  an  apple,  but  a  banana,  upon 
which  Adam  and  Eve  so  sinfully  lunched.  I 
thought  the  essay  both  original  and  spicy,  and 
expected  others  to  agree  with  me  ;  therefore 
when,  from  an  editor  whom  I  had  accounted  my 
friend,  I  received  mine  own  again,  coupled  with 
a  letter  asking  me  to  forego  such  nonsense  in 
the  future  and  write  something  worth  printing, 
I  naturally  sank  into  a  state  best  described  as 
low  in  my  mind.  While  I  was  occupied  with 
some  gloomy  reflections  upon  the  subject  of  my 
ill-luck,  and  some  scornful  ones  on  the  subject 


14  THE  BIDDY  CLUB. 

of  stupid  and  indiscriminating  editors,  I  heard 
Dolly's  light  step  near  the  door. 

"  A  kingdom  for  your  pen  !  "  she  exclaimed, 
entering  the  room. 

"A  fig  for  my  pen  !  "  I  answered  contemptu- 
ously, and  then  added,  in  disrespectful  reference 
to  the  unhappy  manuscript,  "  A  banana  for  my 
pen !  " 

"  What  is  the  matter  t  "  she  asked.  "  Have 
Adam  and  Eve  returned  ?  " 

I  gloomily  nodded  my  head. 

"  They  must  want  a  spring  suit,"  said  Dolly. 

"  They  '11  get  nothing  from  me,  —  not  so 
much  as  a  shoe-string,"  I  answered,  thrusting 
the  luckless  couple  into  a  drawer  of  my  desk 
and  turning  the  key  upon  them. 

"  Never  mind.  Griff,"  said  Dolly.  "  It  is  n't 
Adam  you  care  for,  nor  yet  Eve ;  at  least,  I 
hope  it  's  not  Eve." 

She  paused  and  looked  at  me  anxiously,  but  I 
assured  her  I  did  n't  care  any  more  for  the  lady 
in  question  than  the  editor  had  cared  for  her ; 
and  nothing  could  be  smaller  than  his  esteem. 

"  Well,  then,"  she  continued,  "  I  think  I  can 
help  you.     You  care  for  success,  don't  you  ?  " 

I  admitted  I  was  not  indifferent  to  it,  and 
averred  I  saw  no  reason  why  success  did  not 
immediately  follow  the  writing  of  such  an  article 
as  that. 


WHY  AND   HOW  IT   WAS  FORMED.      1 5 

"I  am  afraid,"  said  Dolly,  anxiously,  "that  the 
public  in  general  is  not  so  deeply  interested  in 
its  great-grandparents  as  it  ought  to  be." 

"  Well,  what  subject  would  you  consider  more 
interesting,  pray  ? "  I  asked,  by  way  of  giving  ex- 
pression to  a  certain  testiness  of  feeling,  rather 
than  from  any  desire  to  seek  information. 

"  Why,  several,  —  the  children  here,  for 
instance  ;  the  servants  ;  the  household  in 
general." 

"  Dolly,"  I  said,  "  do  try  to  be  practical."  I 
instinctively  felt  that  I  was  upon  the  brink  of 
defeat,  and  so  assumed  a  tone  of  masculine 
superiority  and  manfully  evaded  the  issue. 

"  I  '11  make  an  effort,"  she  answered  good- 
naturedly.  "  But,  to  return  to  the  subject,  I 
want  to  accomplish  a  certain  work,  and  I  need 
a  pen  ;    now,  you  write  —  " 

"  Oh,  yes,  I  write,  and  I  'm  written  to  !  "  I 
said,  glancing  savagely  at  the  editor's  letter. 

"  Well,  I  '11  give  you  a  subject  that  will  serve 
us  both ;  for  if  I  mistake  not,  you  '11  achieve 
success  with  it,  and  I  will  — " 

"  What  am  I  to  write  about?"  I  interrupted. 

"Servants  first,  and  afterward  children." 

"  Dolly,"  I  said  with  emphasis,  "  I  won  't  do 
it  !  I  utterly  refuse  to  chain  my  Pegasus  to  a 
plough." 

"Why,  you've  just  been  writing  a  domestic 


1 6  THE  BIDDY  CLUB. 

letter  telling  what  Adam  and  Eve  had  to  eat ! 
I  really  think  this  is  a  step  upward,  —  to  treat 
of  human  beings  apart  from  their  food." 

I  had  nothing  more  to  say,  and  I  picked  up 
my  pen  with  weary  disgust. 

"Come,"  I  said,  apostrophizing  it;  "Pegasus 
is  too  much  of  a  name,  if  you  're  going  to  write 
of  Biddies  and  Babies.  Old  Peg  will  do  for  you 
now." 

"  Don't  be  so  scornful,  if  you  please,"  said 
Dolly  ;  "  I  am  honoring  you  by  asking  your  aid 
in  a  great  undertaking.  I  want  to  establish 
associations  all  over  the  United  States,  and 
I'll—" 

I  threw  down  my  pen. 

"  Dolly  !  "  I  exclaimed,  "you  know  that  a  m.an 
feels  dilapidated  anyhow  this  spring  weather, 
and  it's  nothing  less  than  cowardice  for  you  to 
take  advantage  of  his  weakness,  and  come  at 
him  with  a  rolling-pin  in  the  shape  of  a  uni- 
versal association." 

Dolly  laughed,  but  failed  to  withdraw. 

"  If  you  '11  let  me,"  she  said,  "  I  '11  explain.  I 
think  we  women  have  talked  over  our  servants 
in  an  aimless,  gossipy  way  long  enough,  and  it's 
time  we  talked  to  some  purpose.  I  've  thought 
so  for  months,  but  more  especially  since  paying 
a  visit  to  Mrs.  Hughes  last  week.  We  were 
speaking  of  this   servant-girl  trouble,  and    she 


WHY  AND  HOW  IT   WAS  FORMED.      17 

remarked,  'I  don't  think  we  women  are  very 
smart,  or  we  would  have  combined  long  ago  and 
found  some  way  to  lessen  these  annoyances.' 
Now,  what  I  want  to  bring  about  is  this  very 
combination." 

"  In  other  words,  you  wish  to  start  a  club,"  I 
said. 

"Oh,  no.  Griff;  be  merciful!  We've  had 
enough  of  that !  I  sometimes  think  we  must  be 
the  most  immoral  people  here,  for  we  have  been 
all  but  clubbed  to  death  this  winter.  I  've  been 
such  a  sufferer  from  this  that  even  the  sight  of 
a  twig  now  causes  my  bones  to  ache  and  my 
flesh  to  tremble." 

"  What  do  you  propose  to  call  your  associa- 
tion, pray  .-* " 

"Why,  nothing;  I  don't  want  it  to  be  any- 
thing like  a  club,  for  I  'm  sick  of  electing 
officers  and  being  asked  to  vote  yea  or  nay,  — 
which  generally  means  yea,  whether  you  want 
to  or  not;  and  as  to  voting  by  ballot  —  I  won't 
have  it." 

"  Well,  what  part  am  I  to  play  in  this  name- 
less assemblage  .'* " 

"  Why,  you  hold  the  pen  of  a  ready  writer  —  " 

"And  you  doubtless  think  the  pen  is  mightier 
than  the  sword, —  or,  in  other  words,  the  femi- 
nine tongue ! " 

"  Put  it  any  way  you  like,  just  so  you  sound 

2 


1 8  THE  BIDDY  CLUB. 

our  voice  all  over  the  Union,"  said  Dolly,  who 
seemed  ready  to  make  all  possible  concessions 
in  order  to  gain  her  end. 

"I  suppose,"  I  observed,  " that  if  I  am  ex- 
pected to  do  that,  the  association  will  be  generous 
enough  to  furnish  me  a  speaking-trumpet — at 
my  own  expense  !  "  % 

•'Come,  Griff,"  Dolly  remonstrated,  "don't  be 
frivolous ;  this  is  serious  business.  Bear  in  mind, 
sir,  that  all  future  beefsteaks,  waffles,  and  corn- 
fritters  depend  largely  upon  the  success  of  these 
meetings." 

"  In  that  case,"  I  said,  resuming  my  discarded 
pen,  "  I  am  ready  for  work  ;  but  would  you 
kindly,  madam,  be  a  trifle  more  explicit  as  to 
my  task  ?  " 

"Why,  I  thought  I  told  you  that  you  were  to 
write  an  account  of  our  meetings.  You  are  to 
be  our  honored  secretary." 

"  Dolly,"  I  exclaimed,  "  it  is  quite  clear  to  me 
that,  however  delicately  you  may  endeavor  to  dis- 
guise the  unsavory  truth,  I  am  in  this  affair  to 
be  but  a  tool !  Now,  my  dear  madam,  I  wish  re- 
spectfully to  demand  of  you  the  kind  of  tool  I 
am  expected  to  personate.  If  you  confess  it  is  a 
gimlet,  I  decline  ;  for  however  marked  my  abili- 
ties may  be  in  that  direction,  I  refuse  to  exer- 
cise them  in  boring  this  noble  assemblage." 

But  Dolly  was  a  woman,  and  she  proceeded  to 


PVI/V  AND  HOW  IT   WAS  FORMED.     19 

soothe  and  flatter  and  coax,  until  she  had  nie 
just  where  she  wanted,  and  I  made  all  sorts  of 
ridiculous  concessions.  Having  thus  committed 
myself,  as  far  as  my  line  of  conduct  was  con- 
cerned, there  was  no  help  for  me,  and  I  pas- 
sively awaited  further  developments. 

That  very  afternoon  Dolly  donned  her  best 
and  sallied  forth  in  quest  of  victims  for  me.  I 
merely  put  the  matter  so  to  save  my  dignity. 
I  know,  as  well  as  anybody,  that  I  was  the 
victimized. 

Near  tea-time  she  returned,  and  ran  up  to  my 
study  in  high  spirits. 

"  They  're  all  coming,"  she  said. 

"  Of  course  they  are  !  "  I  responded.  "  If  that 's 
all  ye  went  out  for  to  see,  I  could  have  saved  you 
the  trouble.     I  knew  they'd  all  come." 

"  Now,  Griff,  don't  be  fierce.  You  must  keep 
amiable,  whatever  happens,  for  I  feel  as  if  the 
success  of  this  venture  depended  largely  upon 
you." 

I  swallowed  this  luscious  morsel  and  smiled. 

"  Have  you  any  specific  plan  of  action  for 
to-morrow }  "  I  inquired,  in  tones  of  unrippled 
trust  and  belief. 

"  Oh,  yes  !  I  rely  upon  Mrs.  Hughes  to  be 
my  main  speaker.  She  is  really  the  best  quali- 
fied, for  she  regulates  her  household  and  her 
time  wonderfully." 


20  THE  BIDDY  CLUB. 

The  mention  of  Mrs.  Hughes's  name  as  a 
leading  member  of  the  coming  body  changed 
my  amiability  from  a  spurious  to  a  genuine 
quantity  ;  for  I  greatly  admired  the  lady.  Al- 
though she  made  no  noise  about  the  matter, 
she  was  nevertheless  known  and  looked  up  to 
as  the  best  of  wives,  mothers,  and  housekeepers.  ■' 
Her  husband  always  had  the  appearance  of  a 
man  well  fed,  well  sewed,  and  otherwise  well 
off.  It  was  said,  and  I  could  readily  believe 
the  report,  that  his  wife  had  done  much,  by  her 
able  home-management,  to  build  him  up  finan- 
cially, from  a  state  of  "  uncomfortably "  to  a 
state  of  "  comfortably  off."  Besides  possessing 
all  domestic  virtues,  Mrs.  Hughes  was  very 
attractive,  a  charming  hostess,  —  well,  in  short, 
excepting  only  my  Dolly,  the  prettiest,  most  inter- 
esting woman  I  knew.  She  had  one  advantage 
over  Dolly,  in  that  she  was  older  ;  and  so,  having 
had  more  experience,  was  more  competent  to 
teach.  I  would,  however,  lay  a  large  wager  that 
my  little  woman  would  be  her  equal  at  her  age. 

"  I  tried.  Griff,"  said  Dolly,  "  to  put  the  mat- 
ter in  such  a  light  that  all  I  asked  would  come. 
You  know  some  ladies  don't  like  to  confess  to 
having  trouble  with  their  servants.  So  I  told 
them  we  wanted  all  who  had  anything  to  say 
or  to  learn  on  that  subject,  to  be  present  to- 
morrow." 


ffOlV  AND    WHY  IT  WAS  FORMED.     21 

"  You  've  built  a  broad  platform,  I  must  say  ; 
I  think  it  will  hold  them  all." 

"  That 's  what  I  thought,"  said  Dolly,  her  bright 
face  fairly  glowing  with  pleasure.  "  I  asked  Mrs. 
Hughes  to  come  and  teach  us,  but  she  was 
very  modest  about  it.  She  was  not  silly,  how- 
ever, for  she  admitted  that  her  longer  expe- 
rience had  probably  given  her  something  of 
value  to  impart  to  younger  housekeepers  ;  but 
she  also  said  she  felt  she  had  much  to  learn, 
and  would  be  glad  of  an  opportunity  to  listen  to 
the  opinions  of  others  on  the  subject." 

"  Dolly,"  I  said,  "  you  must  speak  with  wit 
and  wisdom  to-morrow,  if  you  wish  me  to  act 
as  your  scribe." 

"  Oh,  Griff,  I  can't ! "  she  protested,  laughing.  "I 
once  heard  of  a  lady  who  became  so  marvellously 
witty  that  she  could  even  talk  about  the  weather 
engagingly  ;  and  the  cause  of  all  this  brilliancy 
was  merely  a  half-hour  given  each  night,  before 
retiring,  to  the  reading  of  some  author  famous 
either  for  his  wit  or  his  style.  I  tried  this  for 
several  weeks,  in  hopes  I  could  deal  handsomely 
with  this  servant-girl  question  ;  but  I  decided  the 
subject  was  beyond  help." 

Secretly,  however,  I  believed  that  Dolly  had 
not  given  up  the  matter  as  hopeless,  but  was 
still  struggling  with  it.  I  noticed  that  she  wore 
an  occupied  air  that  evening,  and  I  averred  the 


22  THE  BIDDY  CLUB. 

next  morning  that  I  distinctly  heard  her  attempt 
two  feeble  jokes  in  her  sleep,  and  I  was  quite 
positive  she  was  wrestling  with  Owen  Mere- 
dith's immortal  lines  on  "pining"  and  "dining" 
when  the  rising-bell  rudely  interrupted  her. 


SOME  PERSONALITIES.  23 


CHAPTER   II. 

SOME   PERSONALITIES. 

'npHE   next  afternoon,  at  three  o'clock,  our 
J-       door-bell  began  ringing  with  great  vigor  ; 
nor  did  it  cease  until  ten  ladies  had  gained  ad- 
mittance.    With  the  exception  of  Mrs.  Hughes 
and  two  others,  there  was  nothing  so  very  un- 
usual about  this  gathering.      One  of  these  two 
was  a  lady  of  uncertain  age  and   position.     It 
was  supposed  that  her  husband  controlled  a  good 
business,  but  that,  owing  to  her  extravagance,  they 
had  nothing  laid  up,  and  indeed  were  at  times 
pinched  beyond  a  point  that  was  pleasant.    This 
lady  had  in  some  hapless  moment  acquired  the 
acquaintance  of    Mrs.    Leaders  and    Mrs.  Van 
Styke,  the  wives  of  two  of  the  wealthiest  men 
in  the  city,  and  it  seemed  her  one  aim  in  life  to 
have  it  thought  she  lived  as  they  lived,  and  also 
that  she  was  on  terms  of  the  closest  intimacy 
with  them.     Rarely  could  one  converse  with  her 
for  ten  minutes  without  hearing  something  of 
Mrs.   Leaders's  opinion  of  the  weather,  or  Mrs. 
Van    Styke's  health.     A  friend    of  ours,  upon 


24  THE  BIDDY  CLUB. 

hearing  that  this  lady  had  called,  would  always 
ask  his  wife,  in  a  tone  of  deep  solicitude,  — 

"And  how  is  Mrs.  Van  Styke  ? " 

I  would  not  wish  to  paint  this  lady  in  too 
glaring  colors.  She  was  not  loud,  she  was  not 
obtrusive.  In  many  ways  she  was  agreeable, 
even  interesting  ;  but  she  had  her  little  pecu- 
liarities, and  these  were  known  and  smiled  at 
among  her  acquaintances.  As  I  wish  to  avoid 
mentioning  names  in  this  narrative,  I  will  des- 
ignate this  inoffensive  lady  as  the  Imitation 
Millionnaire. 

The  other  individual  whom  I  wish  to  de- 
scribe was  a  lady  whom  Dolly  and  I  had  known 
before  our  or  her  marriage.  She  had  been 
one  of  those  girls  who,  without  any  particu- 
lar strength  or  individuality,  possess  a  strong 
power  of  attraction,  —  an  attraction  which  is 
possibly  to  be  at  once  explained  and  rendered 
more  mysterious  by  the  word  magnetic.  She 
was  a  passive  rather  than  an  active  character  ; 
gentle,  quiet,  yet  capable  of  enjoying  her  rather 
remarkable  capacity  for  winning  and  holding 
captives.  Few  girls  could  have  had  more  lovers 
than  she,  and  from  out  them  all  she  chose  a  man 
who  in  character  was  directly  opposed  to  her,  — 
abrupt,  decisive,  active,  energetic,  intellectual 
within  a  very  prescribed  limit.  I  should  have 
said  that  he  chose  her  rather  than  she  him,  for 


SOME  PERSONALITIES.  2 


•^:5 


it  was  whispered  at  the  time  that  she  did  not 
really  fall  in  love  with  him,  but  rather  gave  way 
before  his  decisive  wooing.  Immediately  after 
their  marriage  he  took  her  to  another  city,  where 
he  engaged  in  business  for  himself,  and  she  was 
seen  no  more  by  her  old  friends  for  five  years. 
At  the  end  of  that  time  he  brought  her  back, 
but  so  changed  that  no  one  would  have  known 
her.  Her  pretty,  gentle  beauty  was  a  thing  of 
the  past.  Indeed,  I  could  never  see  her  without 
recalling  some  wild  flowers  I  once  plucked  in 
the  woods.  They  were  cool  with  dew-drops,  — 
so  pretty  and  fresh-looking,  —  but  I  drove  some 
miles  farther,  holding  them  in  my  hand,  and 
when  I  reached  home  their  beauty  and  fresh- 
ness were  gone.  I  sprinkled  them  with  water, 
laid  them  in  a  cool  dark  room,  but  with  no 
avail ;  their  spirit  was  broken,  and  nothing  I 
could  do  would  tempt  them  to  lift  their  pretty 
heads  again.  I  was  haunted  all  that  morning 
with  a  feeling  that  I  had  taken  some  innocent, 
gentle  creature  away  from  the  home  it  loved, 
and  its  heart  had  broken.  I  never  had  such  a 
feeling  toward  cultivated  flowers.  When  this 
pale,  quiet-faced  lady  returned,  it  took  us  some 
time  to  recognize  her ;  and  when  we  did,  and 
rallied  around  her  with  our  greetings,  she  showed 
but  little  interest  in  her  old  friends.  Her  hus- 
band, too,  seemed   changed.     His  activity  and 


26  THE  BIDDY  CLUB. 

energy  were  centred  on  his  business.  He  had 
a  fretful,  peevish  way  of  looking  at  life.  His 
favorite  theme  was  the  amount  required  for 
necessary  expenditures,  and  the  high  price  of 
various  articles  of  food  and  clothing.  In  his 
business  he  had  been  both  successful  and  un- 
successful ;  he  was  still  able  to  go  on  for  him- 
self, but  he  had  seen  reverses  and  had  worked 
very  hard.  I  have  no  doubt  that  his  family  was 
somewhat  extravagant ;  for  although  no  one  could 
look  at  his  wife  and  accuse  her  of  spending 
money  on  any  pleasures,  yet  from  what  I  know 
of  her  character  I  am  positive  she  could  not 
have  been  a  good  manager.  She  lacked  both 
the  intellect  and  the  energy  ;  but  any  man  of 
sense  could  have  told  that  when  she  was  a  girl. 
She  and  her  husband,  with  their  family  of  three 
children,  settled  in  one  of  two  pleasant  houses. 
Their  home  was  comfortably  furnished,  and  they 
kept  two  servants.  This  latter  expense,  I  was 
told,  was  one  of  his  favorite  themes.  He  was 
constantly  telling  his  wife  of  all  the  women  he 
knew  who  kept  but  one  servant  or  none  at  all  ; 
but  she  took  these  remarks  quietly,  as  she  did 
everything  else  he  said.  Her  attitude  toward 
him  was  quite  a  study.  She  did  not  seem  in 
the  least  afraid  of  him,  nor  yet  utterly  indiffer- 
ent. I  can  only  describe  her  as  hopeless,  broken. 
Some  might  have  called  him  a  home  man,  but 


SOME  PERSONALITIES.  27 

I    disliked    him    so   thoroughly   that    I    always 
attributed  his  constant  presence  at  the  domestic 
hearth  to  the  fact  that  he  was  not  wanted  any- 
where else.     As  far  as  known,  he  never  made 
any  effort  to  be  agreeable  to  the  girl  whom  he 
had  shut  off  from  life  by  marrying  her.     We 
often  looked  in  upon  them,  through  their  half- 
open  shutters,  as   we   passed ;    he  was  always 
reading  a  newspaper  and  she  was  always  sewing. 
Sometimes  he  was  sitting  with  his  back  to  her. 
No  one  who  went  to  the  house  ever  heard  him 
address   an    endearing   word    to   her,  still    less 
demonstrate  the  slightest  affection  in  other  ways. 
Once  when  she  was  dressed  in  a  heavy  cloak 
she  asked  him  to  draw  on  her  rubbers  for  her. 
He  had  a  child  on  his  knee  at  the  time,  and  he 
reminded  her  of  this,  and  asked  why  she  did  n't 
put  them  on  herself.     It  was  said  by  one  or  two 
who,  through  pity,  went  there  frequently,  that 
she    made    pathetic    attempts    to   improve    her 
housekeeping,  and  to  set  a  frugal  and  attractive 
table  ;  but  no  matter  what  she  did,  there  was 
always  something  left  undone,  and  this  last  he 
never  failed  to  notice,  though  he  was  seemingly 
blind   to   the  first.      The   next-door   neighbors 
used  to  say  that  they  could  hear  his  voice  every 
night,  going  twang,  twang,  twang,  like  an  ill- 
conditioned  jew's-harp  ;   but  they  never  heard 
her  reply  to  his  complaints. 


28  THE  BIDDY  CLUB. 

Dolly    was    much    surprised    when    this    lady 
consented   to  attend  her  meeting,  for  she  had 
not  supposed  she  would  take  any  interest  in  it. 
She  told  Dolly,  however,  that  if  she  came  she 
must  do  so  without  speaking  to  her  husband  on 
the  subject,  for  he  could  not  bear  the  mention 
of   anything   of  the  kind  ;    he  thought  women 
ought  to  stay  at  home  and   take  care  of  their 
houses  and  children,  instead  of  gadding  about 
and  gossiping  with  one  another.     Dolly  tried  to 
impress  on  her  mind  the  fact  that  this  meeting 
was  not  intended  to  encourage  or  even  counte- 
nance gossip  ;  it  was  called  for  the  purpose  of 
having  women  meet  and  discuss  the  best  mode 
of  governing  their  servants,  and  learn  from  such 
discussions  what  in  justice  they  ought  to  grant 
to   those  in  their  service,  and  also  what  it  was 
proper  to  expect  and  to  require  of  them.     She 
seemed  to  allow  all  this  herself,  but  said   that 
her  husband  could  never  be  brought  to  view  the 
meetings   in  any  such  light.     He  detested   the 
very  mention  of  everything  of  the  kind  ;  in  his 
mind  it  was  all  associated  with  woman's  rights, 
strong-mindedness,  literary  pretensions,  and  all 
else  that  was  worthless  and  unwomanly. 

"  I  could  n't  say  anything  more  after  that," 
said  Dolly,  in  repeating  the  conversation  to  me  ; 
"  one  can't  speak  against  a  woman's  husband  to 
her,  so  I  just  laughingly  urged  her  to  come  and 


SOME  PERSONALITIES.  29 

see  for  herself  that  we  were  not  vicious  or  in 
any  way  dangerous.  I  hope  that  old  narrow- 
minded  tyrant  won't  learn  of  it  and  keep  her  at 
home  ;  it  would  do  her  good  to  get  away  from 
those  children  and  that  everlasting  sewincr  for 
a  while,  even  if  there  was  no  more  to  irain." 

I  said  nothing,  but  I  sympathized  with  Dolly  in 
her  dislike  of  that  man.  In  fact,  I  never  saw  his 
wife,  with  her  white,  lifeless  face,  without  having 
a  strong  inclination  to  knock  him  down.  But 
as  he  was  much  larger  and  more  muscular  than 
myself,  I  always  remembered  that  anger  was 
sinful,  and  restrained  it  just  in  time. 

The  first  subject  that  was  to  come  up  in 
Dolly's  meeting  was  that  of  my  presence. 
Dolly  and  I  had  already  debated  this  matter  in 
private.  I  told  her  the  ladies  might  not  be 
willing  to  speak  freely  if  I  was  in  the  room  ;  and 
as  it  was  necessary  that  I  should  hear  what  was 
going  on,  in  order  to  write  a  lifelike  account  of 
it,  I  suggested  that  I  should  place  myself  near 
a  certain  register,  where  I  could  hear  without 
being  heard  or  seen.  This  quite  shocked 
Dolly's  sense  of  honor;  but  I  maintained  that 
Howells's  admirable  little  comedy  had  rendered 
such  a  situation  quite  respectable,  even  classic. 
As  Dolly  refused  to  listen  to  any  such  argu- 
ment, there  was  nothing  further  to  do  but  lay 
the  matter  before  the  ladies.     I  being  the  mat- 


30  THE  BIDDY  CLUB. 

ter,  I  naturally  felt  some  sensitiveness  as  to  the 
manner  in  which  I  was  laid  before  so  august  an 
assemblage,  and  begged  Dolly  to  use  tenderness 
tempered  with  discretion.  This  she  promised 
to  do  ;  and  as  soon  as  the  last  lady  was  seated, 
she  opened  the  subject  by  remarking  that  she 
felt  sure  that,  however  widely  they  might  differ 
upon  some  points,  they  would  agree  that  all 
over  the  United  States  there  was  a  call  for  the 
establishment  of  some  sort  of  system  in  the 
management  of  servants.  This  remark  being 
received  with  a  murmur  of  assent,  Dolly  was 
emboldened  to  add  that  she  was  confident  all 
the  ladies  gathered  there  would  join  her  in  an 
attempt  to  aid  the  thousands  of  mistresses  who 
were  careworn  by  reason  of  trouble  with  their 
service.  Another  murmur  of  assent,  albeit  less 
decided,  encouraged  Dolly  to  remind  the  ladies 
of  what  they  already  knew,  —  that  her  husband 
was  a  contributor  to  a  number  of  magazines  and 
papers.  Some  of  the  ladies,  seeing  the  drift  of 
this  remark,  refused  to  murmur  any  longer ;  but 
Dolly  was  quite  highly  wrought  up  by  this  time, 
and  went  on  regardless  of  support.  She  briefly 
said  she  wanted  her  husband  to  write  a  little 
account  of  the  forming  of  a  club  for  the  pur- 
pose of  mending  domestic  service  (Dolly  ought 
to  have  put  this  under  the  head  of  Civil  Service 
Reform),  and    that  in  order  that  he  might  do 


SOME  PERSONALITIES.  3 1 

so  intelligently,  she  wished  him  to  know  how 
they  proceeded.  Of  course,  Dolly  hastened  to 
say,  he  would  give  no  names,  and  indeed  he 
would  disguise  the  whole  matter  completely,  so 
that  no  one  need  feel  she  was  made  conspicuous. 
It  was  only  necessary  that  he  should  have  some 
groundwork  for  his  articles.  She  was  sure  no 
one  would  object,  since  what  he  wrote  might  be 
the  means  of  establishing  similar  clubs  all  over 
the  Union,  and  doing  endless  good. 

("That  is,"  —  I  said  mentally,  for  I  was  some- 
where in  the  vicinity  of  that  register,  in  spite  of 
Dolly,  —  "that  is,  if  his  articles  are  accepted  by 
that  very  narrow-minded  and  pig-headed  person 
the  editor.") 

Dolly  was  interrupted  here  by  a  volley  from 
the  assemblage. 

"  Oh,  we  never  could  say  anything  worth  hear- 
ing if  your  husband  were  present!"  said  one, 
whose  voice  I  recognized  as  belonging  to  a  cer- 
tain frivolous  acquaintance  of  ours.  A  quick 
doubt  flashed  through  my  brain  as  to  whether, 
even  in  my  absence,  her  remarks  would  quite 
equal  Solomon's. 

"Let  him  come,"  said  another;  "if  he  can 
stand  it,  we  ought  to." 

I  laughed  at  this  speech  ;  it  came  from  a 
sprightly  young  married  lady,  a  great  favorite 
of  mine,  bright  as  she  was  pretty. 


32  THE  BIDDY  CLUB. 

"  Oh,  no,  we  can't  have  him  ;  it  would  spoil 
everything,  we  'd  feel  so  constrained." 

I  could  not  recognize  the  source  of  this  re- 
mark, but  I  knew  it  was  Mrs.  Hughes  who  spoke 
next. 

"I  see  no  objection  ;  I  don't  think  he's  likely 
to  be  critical,  for  he  knows  we  are  gathered  here 
to  learn,  and  if,  through  his  coming,  others  might 
be  benefited,  I  should  be  very  glad  to  have  him 
present." 

Here  I  made  a  mental  note  to  the  effect  that 
Mrs.  Hughes  was,  as  I  had  always  supposed  her, 
a  lady  of  rare  sense. 

"  We'll  have  to  vote  on  it,"  said  a  voice  I  did 
not  recognize. 

"  It  ought  to  be  by  ballot,"  said  another  un- 
known one. 

Unable  to  help  herself,  poor  Dolly  was  drawn 
into  the  vortex,  and  in  spite  of  her  determination 
not  to  vote  at  all,  least  of  all  by  ballot,  was  heard 
by  the  register  to  tear  and  distribute  bits  of  paper. 
The  vote  stood  six  in  favor  against  five  opposed, 
and  upon  this  slender  majority  I  was  admitted, 
feeling  myself  in  but  slim  demand,  and  my  seat 
in  the  house  consequently  insecure.  There  was 
afterward  a  sort  of  compromise  made,  it  being 
agreed  that  I  should  remove  myself  (I  refuse  to 
put  it  in  the  passive  voice)  to  an  adjacent  library, 
where  I  might  hear  without  being  seen. 


SOME  PERSONALITIES.  33 

"  And  we  '11  try  to  forget  all  about  you,"  said 
the  Frivolous  Young  Woman,  as  I  was  bidding 
the  company  a  touching  farewell. 

"  Oh,  no  ;  don't  let  us  exert  ourselves  to  do 
that,"  said  the  Sprightly  Lady. 


LONG  BEACH  LL^GUE 
FOR  THE  HARD  OF  HEARING 


34  THE  BIDDY  CLUB. 


CHAPTER   III. 

A    YOUNG    housekeeper's    EXPERIENCE. 

AS  soon  as  I  was  well  out  of  the  way,  Dolly 
opened  the  meeting  by  saying  that  per- 
haps it  would  be  best  to  call  upon  some  one  of- 
the  ladies  to  give  an  account  of  her  house- 
keeping experiences,  the  others  making  com- 
ments or  asking  questions,  as  they  chose. 
Dolly  was  very  adroit ;  she  had  already  decided 
upon  Mrs.  Hughes,  but  she  thought  best  to 
lead  the  other  ladies  to  mention  her.  She  knew 
they  would  not  fail  to  do  this,  as  she  was  much 
liked.  Her  tact  was  rewarded  by  having  Mrs. 
Hughes  immediately  and  unanimously  chosen 
as  the  one  to  address  the  others. 

The  lady  began,  not  by  saying  that  she  was 
taken  by  surprise,  or  was  embarrassed  by  their 
choice,  but  by  remarking  that  her  husband  had 
often  laughingly  accused  her  of  being  proud  of 
her  failures,  because  she  made  such  haste  to 
expose  them  to  others  ;  but  she  was  of  the 
opinion  that  we  were  as  frequently  benefited  by 
the  failures  as  by  the  successes  of  our  fellow- 


YOUNG  HOUSEKEEPER'S  EXPERIENCE.  35 

beings,  and  that,  having  fallen  into  certain  pits 
herself,  she  was  more  than  eager  to  keep  others 
out  of  them,  even  though  she  were  obliged  to 
light  herself,  as  it  were,  in  order  to  warn  them. 

"  When  I  went   to    housekeeping,"  the  lady 
continued,  "  I  knew  no  more  than  most  Ameri- 
can girls  ;  and  so  far  from  being  ashamed  of  my 
ignorance,  I  was  wont  to  make  a  jest  of  it.     I 
used  to   say  that  if  ever  I  owned  a  kitchen  it 
should   bear  this  motto  :    '  Where  ignorance  is 
bliss,  't  is  folly  to  be  wise.'     I  remember  a  gen- 
tleman  friend    suggesting    that    I   should   have 
this    printed    in   Latin   or   Greek,    as    in    plain 
legible  English    it   might  have  a   demoralizing 
effect  upon  my  maidservants.     You  may  think 
I  knew  even  less  than  most  girls,  when   I  tell 
you    that   after  I   was   married   I   went   to    the 
butcher's  one  morning  and  ordered   a  piece  of 
stuffed  veal.     I  have  always  admired    the  self- 
control  of  the  man  who  waited  upon  me.     I  am 
confident  he  struggled  with  an  inclination  to  tell 
me  I  scarcely  need  buy  calf,  as  I  evidently  had 
goose  enough  on  hand  to  last  a  season.     I  had  a 
foolish  feeling  that  there  was  something  pretty 
about  ignorance.     I  found  I  became  very  popu- 
lar with  my  Irish  cook  when  I  showed  her  that 
I  knew  nothing  about  her  department.     Each 
morning,  before  starting  out  upon  my  market- 
ing, I  would  ask  her  all  sorts  of  questions  as  to 


36  THE  BIDDY  CLUB. 

what  I  should  buy,  how  much,  and  so  on  ;  but 
it  seemed  to  me  that  no  matter  how  well  fur- 
nished with  information  I  might  be  before  start- 
ing, that  arch-fiend  the  butcher  would  invariably 
bring  me  to  confusion  on  some  trifling  point  be- 
fore I  left  his  shop.  Despite  this  little  trouble, 
however,  all  seemed  to  go  merrily  ;  and  I  found 
housekeeping  both  easy  and  pleasant,  until  a 
larger  trouble  appeared,  in  the  shape  of  my 
husband's  dissatisfaction.  When  the  first  gla- 
mour of  our  new  relations  had  somewhat  died 
away,  and  the  romantic  had  become  tinged  with 
the  practical,  my  husband  began  to  realize  that 
the  very  small  sum  he  had  laid  up  to  begin 
upon  had  all  but  melted  away  ;  he  realized, 
furthermore,  that  although  he  worked  very  hard 
we  were  living  beyond  our  income,  with  a  fair 
prospect  of  debt  in  the  future.  He  found,  also, 
that  while  there  were  others  whose  expenses 
were  as  heavy  as  ours,  yet  some  of  our  friends, 
who  had  as  large  an  income  and  family  as  we, 
were  living  for  much  less.  It  was  a  great  an- 
noyance to  me,  that  just  as  I  was  becoming 
very  popular  with  my  Irish  cook  I  found  myself 
losing  popularity  with  my  husband.  He  had  a 
number  of  plain  talks  with  me  on  the  house- 
keeping subject,  and  fortunately  I  had  sense 
enough  to  see  the  truth  of  his  remarks  and 
realize    the   danger   of   our  situation,   though   I 


YOUNG  HOUSEKEEPER'S  EXPERIENCE.  37 

must  allow  that  I  was  inwardly  nettled,  and 
wished  retrenchment  were  unnecessary.  For 
all  that,  however,  I  set  myself  about  it  earnestly ; 
but  I  found  I  was  undertaking  a  great  deal. 
The  moment  I  attempted  to  look  into  the  kitchen 
more  closely,  my  cook  grew  sulky,  and  finally 
said  she  did  not  think  she  was  pleasing  me  as 
well  as  she  used  to,  and  gave  me  notice.  (She 
should  have  said  I  was  not  pleasing  her  as  well 
as  I  had  done.)  This  roused  the  woman  within 
me,  for  I  saw  I  was  not  mistress  of  my  own  house. 
I  let  this  woman  go,  and  determined  to  control 
the  next  servant,  instead  of  being  petted  and 
controlled  by  her." 

"  Now  comes  the  tug  of  war,"  observed  the 
Sprightly  Lady. 

"  Yes,  indeed  !  "  said  Mrs.  Hughes.  "  It  was 
June  when  my  Irish  cook  dismissed  me,  and 
before  September  I  had  had  fifteen  servants. 
None  of  them  were  especially  vicious,  but  there 
was  always  something  wrong.  I  had  sick  girls, 
homesick  girls,  incompetent  girls.  It  seemed  as 
if  each  one  left  my  house  in  a  little  worse  con- 
dition than  the  last ;  and  both  my  husband  and 
myself  became  so  disheartened  that  in  the  fall 
we  broke  up  housekeeping  and  went  to  boarding. 
As  we  had  a  little  child  and  a  nurse,  we  found 
this  a  very  unsatisfactory  way  to  live  ;  but  I  had 
the  rest  I  needed,  and  a  time  for  most  profitable 


38  THE  BIDDY  CLUB. 

thought,  which  I  also  needed.  Although  my 
husband  was  too  kind  and  charitable  to  say  any- 
thing, I  could  not  help  knowing  that  secretly  he 
felt  1  had  failed  to  do  my  part.  I  felt  so  myself, 
and  could  not  be  happy  until  I  had  determined 
to  try  again.  While  in  this  mood  I  had  some 
conversation  with  a  friend,  —  an  English  lady. 
I  was  making  complaint  of  the  miserable  class 
of  servants  with  which  housekeepers  had  to  deal, 
and  I  said,  '  Don't  you  think  we  ought  to  estab- 
lish a  training-school  for  them.'''  She  paused 
a  moment,  and  then  replied  very  earnestly,  '  My 
dear,  first  of  all  we  need  a  training-school  for 
mistresses.'  To  tell  the  truth,  I  mentally  re- 
sented this,  regarding  it  as  an  imputation  against 
myself. 

"  When  I  went  to  housekeeping  again,  I  found 
that  my  experiences  had  not  been  without  avail. 
I  understood  character  better,  and  so  could  make 
a  wiser  choice  of  servants  than  formerly.  I 
kept  careful  accounts,  and  tried  to  look  after 
my  kitchen  closely ;  but  I  still  had  more  or  less 
trouble.  I  changed  servants  often,  kept  increas- 
ing the  wages  I  paid,  and  arranged  my  work  in 
various  ways  in  my  efforts  to  have  matters  run 
more  smoothly.  But  I  had  not  yet  gone  to  the 
root  of  the  matter. 

"  One  evening,  in  talking  with  my  husband,  I 
mentioned  a  new  clerk  he  had  engaged,  and  he 


YOUNG  HOUSEKEEPER'S  EXPERIENCE.  39 

remarked  that  although  the  boy  was  ignorant, 
he  was  so  bright  and  anxious  to  learn  that  he 
would  soon  be  valuable.  'There  is  nothing/  he 
said,  '  from  A  to  Z,  in  that  office,  that  I  cannot 
teach  him.  I  have  had  practical  knowledge  of 
it  all.'  Then  he  added,  rather  unnecessarily,  I 
thought  at  the  time :  '  When  you  housekeepers 
know  your  business  as  thoroughly  as  I  know 
mine,  you  '11  have  less  trouble  with  servants.' 

The  same  feeling  of  resentment  which  I  had 
experienced  when  the  English  lady  spoke,  sprang 
up  in  my  heart  again,  and  I  saw  fit  to  begin 
talking  about  the  weather.  Not  long  after  that 
my  cook  asked  me  for  an  increase  of  pay.  She 
did  not  think,  she  said,  she  could  do  my  work 
unless  she  had  more.  I  was  already  giving  her 
good  wages,  and  my  heart  died  within  me  as  she 
spoke,  for  I  foresaw  another  change.  Personally 
this  girl  was  very  agreeable  to  me  ;  she  had  a 
pleasant,  obliging  disposition,  and  gentle,  respect- 
ful manners.  She  was  a  fairly  good  cook,  and 
since  her  coming  I  had  hoped,  from  week  to 
week,  that  she  would  master  her  work  ;  but  she 
was  always  behindhand.  The  ironing  was  late, 
the  baking  hurried,  and  the  scrubbing  often 
omitted.  Every  day  I  felt  as  if  I  were  pushing 
a  great  load,  and  although  the  girl  seemed  to 
try,  she  never  caught  up.  Every  evening  until 
ten  she  toiled,  and  still  much  was  left  undone. 


40  THE  BIDDY  CLUB. 

She  said  the  work  was  very  hard,  but  she  liked 
me  so  much  she  would  do  it  for  higher  wages. 
I  half  decided  to  pay  these  rather  than  change 
again,  but  I  told  her  I  would  think  the  matter 
over  for  a  day.  My  conscience  was  stirred.  I 
felt  I  was  then  paying  all  I  could  afford ;  I  felt, 
too,  that  my  work  was  not  worth  more,  as  wages 
went.  I  had  but  two  children,  and  kept  a  nurse, 
who  was  assisting  the  cook  more  than  I  really 
felt  I  ought  to  let  her.  I  thought  over  many 
things,  and  came  to  some  new  conclusions.  It 
was  then  that  I  first  felt  the  force  of  my  friend's 
and  my  husband's  remarks.  I  went  into  the 
kitchen  the  next  day  and  said,  '  Maggie,  I  have 
decided  that  it  is  not  because  of  the  work  that 
we  are  always  behind  here,  but  because  of  the 
worker.  You  do  not  know  how  to  systematize 
matters.  Now,  I  know  very  little  about  all  this 
myself,  but  I  have  resolved  to  learn.  I  am  com- 
ing out  into  the  kitchen  to-day  to  begin,  and  when 
I  have  learned  I  am  going  to  teach  a  girl.  Now, 
I  like  you  very  much,  and  would  be  glad  to  have 
you  stay ;  but  I  am  not  willing  to  pay  you  more 
until  you  know  more.  If  you  wish  to  remain 
and  learn  of  me  as  I  become  able  to  teach  you, 
I  will  continue  to  you  the  same  wages,  although 
I  consider  them  very  high  for  a  girl  who  is  not 
thoroughly  competent.  Think  it  over  yourself, 
Maggie,  and  you  will  see  the  fault  cannot  lie 


YOUNG  HOUSEKEEPER'S  EXPERIENCE.  41 

in  the  work.  The  family  is  small,  the  house 
convenient,  and  my  nurse  helps  you  a  great 
deal.'  " 

"  Did  she  take  all  this  t "  asked  the  Sprightly 
Lady. 

"  Oh,  yes.  I  spoke  very  kindly.  I  told  her 
that  I  wished  to  talk  with  her  as  one  woman 
with  another  ;  that  I  was  discouraged  because 
my  work  did  not  go  better,  when  I  was  paying 
more  than  I  ought  to,  and  making  every  effort 
to  help  matters  along.  She  admitted  that  pos- 
sibly the  fault  lay  in  herself,  and  agreed  to 
try  another  week  and  see  what  could  be  done. 
And  so  I  began  my  education." 

"  You  don't  mean  to  say  that  you  went  to 
doing  kitchen  work  when  you  were  n't  obliged 
to!  "  exclaimed  the  Frivolous  Youne:  Person. 

"  I  certainly  did  ;  and  I  was  ashamed  that  I 
had  not  begun  before." 

"Well,  that's  more  than  I'd  do !  I  let  my 
servants  attend  to  their  own  business,  and  when 
they  get  into  a  muddle  I  leave  them  to  get  out 
of  it  as  best  they  can." 

"  That  sounds  like  an  interesting  method," 
said  Mrs.  Hughes,  courteously ;  but  I  could  de- 
tect a  slight  shade  of  irony  in  her  voice.  "  It 's 
only  defect  is,  that  when  servants  extricate  them- 
selves from  a  muddle  they  so  often  neglect  to 
drag  their  master  and  mistress  out  too." 


42  THE  BIDDY  CLUB. 

"What  success  did  you  meet  with?"  asked 
the  Sprightly  Lady.  "I  'm  longing  to  put  a 
big  gingham  apron  on  and  face  the  worst  at 
once." 

"  I  found  that  I  was  deplorably  ignorant.  I 
shall  never  forget  my  first  morning's  work.  I 
arose  at  six,  intending  to  have  breakfast  at  half- 
past  seven.  It  was  a  very  cold  day,  and  I  suf- 
fered as  I  worked  over  the  fire  (which  I  ought 
to  have  made  ready  to  light  the  night  before, 
but  had  not),  and  as  I  was  sweeping  the  walks 
and  galleries  I  decided  that  a  servant's  life  was 
neither  easy  nor  pleasant.  I  hope  I  shall  never 
outlive  the  feeling  of  sympathy  for  that  class  of 
women,  which  grew  out  of  my  aching  hands  and 
feet  that  morning.  Armed  with  the  boldness  of 
ignorance,  I  undertook  quite  a  little  breakfast,  — 
oatmeal,  coffee,  scrambled  eggs,  stewed  potatoes, 
and  muffins.  Poor  Maggie  stood  by  at  first, 
begging  for  just  enough  work  to  keep  her  warm, 
so  I  set  her  to  scouring  tins.  Half-past  seven 
came, — eight,  —  no  breakfast.  Maggie  smiled 
in  a  respectful  but  superior  manner.  '  Never 
mind,  Maggie,'  I  said,  —  for  she  was  a  girl  with 
whom  I  could  indulge  my  love  for  a  little  jest, 
with  no  fear  of  her  taking  advantage  of  me,  — 
'it  was  half-past  eight  I  said  this  morning.'  *I 
think  it  was,  mum,'  she  responded  with  Irish 
brevity.     It  was  nearly  nine  when  at  last  we  sat 


YOUNG  HOUSEKEEPER'S  EXPERIENCE.  43 

down  to  breakfast ;  but  fortunately  everything 
was  nice  enough  to  satisfy  our  keen  appetites. 
I  kept  up  this  toil,  in  an  intermittent  fashion, 
for  several  weeks.     Generally,  I  worked  all  the 
morning  and  then  went  to  bed  for  the  afternoon, 
for  I  was  not  over  strong,  and  being  quite  un- 
used to  such  labor  I    wearied  readily.      Once 
Maggie  ventured   to  call  my  attention    to  the 
fact  that   I   found  the  work  very  hard  ;  but   I 
told  her  I  was  only  a  green  girl.     I  asked  her 
what  she  would  think  of  me  if  I  went  to  some 
lady  and  undertook  her  housework,  and  finding 
it  very  hard  because  of  my  greenness,  told  her 
she  must  pay  me  more  than  she  would  have  to 
pay  a  competent  girl,  who  could  do  it  all  quite 
readily  ;  and  Maggie  had  good  sense  enough  to 
feel  the  force  of  this.     I  reminded  her,  too,  that 
although  she  was  at  a  training-school,  she  was 
receiving  high  wages.     Usually,  I  said,  a  scholar 
pays  the  teacher  ;  but  in  this  school  we  have  re- 
versed matters,  and  the  teacher  pays  the  scholar. 
Throughout  my  work  I  was,  although   greatly 
fatigued,  borne  up  by  the  consciousness  that  I 
was  at  last  doing    right.      Indeed,  I  felt  quite 
gay  some  of  the   time.     I    remember   amusing 
Maggie  much  by  remarking  once,  when  I  found 
I  had  made  a  blunder,  that  I  'd  dismiss  that  girl, 
for  she  did  n't  amount  to  anything. 

"  I  merely  mention   this    because  I  want  to 


44  THE  BIDDY  CLUB. 

call  attention  to  the  fact  that  in  training  ser- 
vants it  is  far  better  to  breathe  a  spirit  of  life 
into  the  work  than  one  of  discouragement, 
no  matter  if  great  cause  for  the  latter  may 
exist.  You  will  find,  I  think,  that  servants 
will  work  better  if,  while  plainly  pointing  out 
their  errors,  you  also  give  them  a  hope  of 
success. 

"  I  was  greatly  aided  in  my  kitchen  work  by 
Mrs.  McNair  Wright's  excellent  book,  '  The 
Complete  Home,'  and  I  encouraged  Maggie 
to  read  and  put  into  practice  some  of  its  good 
suggestions." 

"  Do  you  really  think,  Mrs.  Hughes,  that  we 
all  ought  to  pass  through  such  a  course  of  train- 
ing .'' "  asked  the  Sprightly  Lady,  with  a  serious 
tone  in  her  voice. 

"  I  think  it  so  earnestly  that  I  wish  it  were 
possible  for  the  State  to  establish  training- 
schools,  and  to  frame  and  enforce  a  law  to 
the  effect  that  no  woman  should  marry  until 
she  could  show  a  certificate  of  graduation  from 
one  of  these  ;  and  I  would  it  were  possible  for 
the  State  also  to  insist  upon  young  men  pos- 
sessing certain  qualifications  before  allowing 
them  to  marry." 

"  What,  for  instance  } "  asked  the  Sprightly 
Lady,  with  much  animation.  Indeed  I  thought, 
from  their  voices,  that  at  this  juncture  all  the 


YOUNG  HOUSEKEEPER'S  EXPERIENCE.  45 

ladies  grew  more    interested  and    the   speaker 
more  interesting. 

"We'll  have  to  forego  an  answer  to  that, 
I  fear,  until  we  are  called  upon  to  discuss 
husbands." 

"  I  only  wanted  to  see  if  my  Billy  could  have 
had  me,"  said  the  Sprightly  Lady. 

"  Don't  you  want  to  see  if  you  could  have  had 
your  Billy .?  "  asked  Dolly. 

"  I  know  I  could  n't.  I  was  only  a  poor,  igno- 
rant little  society  chit.  I  did  n't  know  a  dish-rag 
from  a  dish-pan." 

"  Why  can't  young  men  and  women  demand 
more  of  each  other,  without  waiting  for  the  law 
to  aid  them  >  There  's  nothing  to  hinder  their 
taking  matters  into  their  own  hands,"  said  Dolly. 

"  Nothing  but  their  falling  in  love,"  said  Mrs. 
Hughes.  "  They  need  to  have  their  interests  pro- 
tected until  they  become  cool-headed  enough  to 
see  clearly.  Depend  upon  it,  they  will  see  sooner 
or  later ;  and  if  they  have  been  captivated  by  a 
pretty  face,  or  the  swing  of  a  cane  — " 

"  Poor  Billy  !  he  would  have  been  counted 
out !  That 's  what  I  married  him  for,"  mur- 
mured the  Sprightly  Lady. 

"  If  they  have  nothing  more  substantial  to 
rely  on  than  that,  sooner  or  later  the  romance 
will  be  dropped  out  of  their  union  ;  and  once 
dropped  it  is  seldom  picked  up.     It  doesn't  take 


46  THE  BIDDY  CLUB. 

a  man  very  long  to  become  disenchanted  if 
there's  nothing  real  to  hold  him." 

"You  speak  of  a  man,"  said  Dolly  ;  "don't  you 
think  a  woman  becomes  disenchanted  too,  if  she 
finds  her  husband  is  not  what  she  believed  him 
to  be  ? " 

"  I  only  spoke  of  a  man  because  he  is  most 
apt  to  show  it.  I  believe  a  woman  feels  this 
even  more  keenly,  and  I  sometimes  think  she 
fathoms  her  husband's  character  more  quickly 
than  he  does  hers.  But  a  woman  is  very  re- 
served on  these  points  ;  she  generally  keeps 
all  this  from  the  world  ;  she  often  hides  her 
discovery  even  from  her  husband."- 

Here  I  was  seized  with  a  terrible  flutter.  I 
wondered  if  Dolly  had  found  me  out  and  neg- 
lected to  say  anything  about  it.  I  determined 
to  learn  how  much  she  knew,  the  moment  the 
meeting  was  ended. 

"  I  fear  I  must  have  become  an  old  maid  had 
the  State  acted  upon  Mrs.  Hughes's  suggestion," 
said  the  Imitation  Millionnaire.  "  Kitchen  work 
was  always  insufferable  to  me.  I  never  under- 
took it." 

Now,  most  of  us  knew,  though  she  knew  not 
that  we  knew,  that  her  origin  was  humble,  both 
as  regards  birth  and  worldly  means,  and  that  if 
she  had  never  undertaken  any  form  of  domestic 
service  she  had  simply  shirked  a  clear  duty. 


YOUNG  HOUSEKEEPER'S  EXPERIENCE.  47 

"  The  work  is  not  pleasant  to  any  of  us,  I  dare 
say,"  remarked  Mrs.  Hughes,  quietly;  "but  I 
can  assure  the  ladies  that  they  would  be  most 
certain  of  escaping  the  frequent  necessity  of 
doing  it,  by  knowing  how.  In  other  words,  I 
believe  that  such  knowledge  on  the  part  of  mis- 
tresses would  create  a  better  class  of  servants, 
and  we  should  cease  to  suffer  from  this  frequent 
changing." 

"  I  believe  that  is  true,  Mrs.  Hughes,"  said 
Dolly.  "  I  have  found  that  the  more  I  learn 
about  housework,  the  stronger  hold  I  have  on 
my  servants.  I  have  found  that  I  can  generally 
do  better  with  my  nurse  than  with  my  other 
servant,  and  I  believe  that 's  because  I  know 
about  every  part  of  her  work." 

"  I  don't  agree  with  you,"  said  the  Imitation 
Millionnaire ;  "  I  think  servants  respect  a  mis- 
tress more  if  she  does  not  pretend  to  compete 
with  them  in  their  department.  I  always  say 
to  my  cook,  if  she  asks  how  to  make  a  dish, 
'  That  is  your  business,  not  mine.'  " 

*'  One  of  the  very  best  housekeepers  I  ever 
saw,"  said  the  Sprightly  Lady,  "  knew  nothing 
of  practical  housework." 

"  Oh,  Jenny,"  exclaimed  Dolly,  "  that's  hardly 
a  fair  instance  !  I  know  whom  you  mean  ;  but 
she  lives  in  New  York,  and  is  rich,  and  has  a  won- 
derful faculty  for  controlling  those  beneath  her." 


48  THE  BIDDY  CLUB. 

"  I  don't  think  we  should  find  it  safe  to  take 
such  an  one  as  a  criterion,  though  many  do," 
said  Mrs.  Hughes.  "  All  over  our  land  we  hear 
this  cry  about  worthless  servants.  I  believe  it 
is  safe  to  assert  that  the  United  States  takes  the 
lead  for  the  household  ignorance  of  its  women, 
both  mistresses  and  maids.  I  know,  by  the 
servants  who  have  come  to  me,  something  of 
the  style  of  mistresses  in  this  city.  Before  I 
learned  housework  thoroughly  myself  I  changed 
often,  and  so  had  an  opportunity  to  judge.  I 
received  excellent  recommendations  from  ladies 
for  very  incompetent  girls.  I  remember  one 
Irish  cook  who  had  been  paid  high  wages.  She 
could  take  hold  of  a  dinner-party  and  manage 
that  fairly  well.  Her  cake,  pies,  and  desserts 
were  generally  good,  but  her  cooking  was  all  of 
the  richest.  She  thought  that,  to  excel,  her 
dishes  must  swim  in  butter,  coffee  must  be  black, 
and  so  on.  She. had  no  idea  how  to  make  sim- 
ple vegetables  delicious,  —  potatoes  white  and 
foamy  ;  rice  with  every  kernel  soft,  white,  and 
distinct.  Through  the  surprise  or  displeasure  of 
my  servants  when  they  saw  how  I  superintended 
matters,  I  have  learned  how  rare  it  is  for  mis- 
tresses to  keep  accounts,  to  watch  their  grocery 
and  butcher  bills,  and  the  larder,  that  nothing 
be  wasted.  Of  course  these  spoiled  servants 
resent  being  watched  ;  but  what  do  the  men  of 


YOUNG  HOUSEKEEPER'S  EXPERIEXCE.  49 

the  family  think  of  this  free-and-easy  house- 
keeping ?  I  always  dislike  to  mention  husbands 
in  this  way,  because  there  ought  to  be  no  dis- 
tinct opinion  or  interest  in  this  matter.  Plus- 
band  and  wife  should  be  one  here,  certainly.  I 
assure  you  that  many  a  man  is  driven  to  dis- 
couragement—  worse  still,  is  pressed  into  dis- 
honor—  by  the  waste  of  his  household.  He  may 
not  see  this,  but  he  feels  the  effect  of  it  sooner 
or  later.  I  am  far  from  saying  that  every  man 
who  fails  does  so  because  of  some  woman's  ex- 
travagance, for  I  believe  that  in  his  way  a  man 
is  as  often  extravagant  as  his  wife ;  but  I  do  say 
this  :  lack  of  knowledge  on  the  mistress's  part 
necessarily  means  waste.  It  is  her  duty  to  save, 
and  set  her  husband  an  example  of  thrift.  I 
place  women  very  high.  I  look  to  them  to  save 
the  men,  —  first  by  performing  their  own  duty, 
and  next  by  influencing  their  husbands  to  do 
likewise." 

Here  Mrs.  Hughes  suddenly  paused,  and  said 
she  feared  she  had  taken  too  much  time  for  one 
afternoon,  and  that  she  would  say  no  more  that 
day. 

Dolly  assured  her  that  they  felt  grateful  for 
her  words,  and  that  the  time  had  seemed 
short  to  them.  I  was  glad  to  hear  the  other 
ladies  heartily  join  with  Dolly  in  this.  Even 
the  Imitation  Millionnaire  allowed  there  might 

4 


50  THE  BIDDY  CLUB. 

be  something  which  it  would  be  proper  to 
learn,  and  if  so,  she  would  be  happy  to  know 
of  it. 

The  Pale  Lady  was  the  most  quiet ;  but  Dolly 
assured  me  that  she  seemed  interested  —  really 
animated  for  her,  which  meant,  probably,  that 
she  had  smiled  faintly  once. 


SELECTING  AND  MANAGING  SERVANTS.  5 1 


CHAPTER   IV. 

SELECTING    AND    MANAGING    SERVANTS, 

OH,  Griff !  you  outrageous  creature !  What 
have  you  done ! "  exclaimed  Dolly,  as 
by  means  of  a  covert  glance  over  my  shoulder 
she  caught  the  heading  of  my  articles.  "  I  said 
we  would  n't  be  a  club  !  And  then  such  a 
wretched  name  !  You  ought  to  be  ashamed  of 
yourself ! " 

"  Can't  help  it,  Dolly.  You  said  you  would  n't 
vote,  and  you  voted  ;  you  said  you  would  n't 
club,  and  you  clubbed  ;  and  as  you  talk  about 
Biddies,  why,  the  Biddy  Club  you  must  be.  It 
can't  be  helped,  my  dear.  It  is  one  of  those 
things  which,  growing  out  of  circumstances 
beyond  one's  control,  become  the  inevitable." 

Dolly  was  not  wholly  satisfied;  she  was  about 
to  say  that  she  would  n't  speak  to  me  for  a  week, 
when  suddenly  the  remembrance  of  her  spring 
bonnet,  for  which  I  was  to  call  the  next  day, 
and  of  her  jacket  dated  the  day  after  —  not  to 
mention  Ray's  first  tooth,  which  was  being  set 
in  an  enamel  breastpin  at  the  jeweller's  —  came 


52  THE  BIDDY  CLUB. 

to  her  mind,  and  she  caught  her  breath  just  in 
time. 

The  Club  assembled  that  afternoon,  and  were 
about  to  open  the  discussion,  when  the  Sprightly 
Lady  exclaimed,  — 

"We  let  you  ofif  too  soon  last  time,  Mrs. 
Hughes,  for  you  did  n't  tell  us  what  became  of 
Maggie.  I  've  lain  awake  nights  wondering  if 
she  adhered  to  you." 

Mrs.  Hughes  laughed  and  said, — 

"  Perhaps  that  story  were  better  left  untold. 
About  two  weeks  after  opening  my  private 
training-school,  I  wrote  a  friend  that  I  had 
learned  much  and  had  saved  my  servant.  The 
first  proved  true  ;  but  I  was  obliged,  somewhat 
later,  to  add  a  postscript  to  my  letter,  for  I  lost 
Maggie." 

"  She  wearied  of  well-doing,  poor  sinner ! " 
sighed  the  Sprightly  Lady. 

"  Yes,  at  last.  I  think  that  if  I  had  been  a 
competent  housewife  when  I  engaged  her,  I 
might  have  made  an  excellent  servant  of  her; 
but  it  was  very  hard  for  her  to  alter  her  entire 
mode  of  work  for  a  mistress  who  was  only  a 
learner  herself.  To  a  certain  extent  the  girl 
was  being  experimented  upon,  and  in  a  vague 
way  she  felt  this.  All  ended  pleasantly  be- 
tween us.  She  wished  to  live  nearer  her  Catho- 
lic Church,  and  made  that  the  excuse  for  leaving. 


SELECTING  AND  MANAGING  SERVANTS.  53 

But  SO  far  from  regretting  my  new  course,  I 
pursued  it  even  more  systematically  and  stead- 
ily, and  learned  little  by  little —  " 

"  You  don't  mean  to  say  you  continued  doing 
all  your  work  !  "  exclaimed  the  Imitation  Mil- 
lionnaire. 

"  No,  I  never  did  it  all,  and  at  the  end  of  two 
weeks  I  ceased  doing  as  much  as  I  had  done  ; 
but  I  was  in  and  about  the  kitchen  a  certain 
time  each  day,  and  I  kept  learning  more  and 
more  about  my  work.  For  one  thing,  I  found 
that  if  I  were  doing  it,  I  should  need  many  little 
conveniences  and  appliances  which  the  kitchen 
then  lacked,  and  these  I  supplied  as  I  was 
able." 

"  I  've  given  that  up,"  said  the  Imitation 
One,  with  a  resigned  sigh  ;  "  they  won't  use  such 
things  when  they  have  them." 

"  I  compelled  their  use  until  the  girls  found 
they  couldn't  well  do  without  them.  We  must 
never  lose  sight  of  the  fact  that  if  we  do  our 
whole  duty  by  our  servants,  we  shall  educate 
them." 

"  Oh,  I  've  made  an  end  of  that ! "  said 
the  Millionnaire.  "  I  've  done  with  missionary 
work." 

"  So  many  of  us  feel  at  times,  I  dare  say," 
said  Mrs.  Hughes,  with  that  clear-cut  courtesy 
which   was   peculiar   to   her   when    she  wished 


54  THE  BIDDY  CLUB. 

to  administer  a  polite  rebuke ;  "  but,  unfortu- 
nately for  our  peace  of  conscience,  God  has  not 
given  up  requiring  such  work  of  us." 

The  Millionnaire  began  to  be  troubled  with  a 
cough,  and  Mrs.  Hughes  proceeded  :  — 

"  I  think,  as  I  have  finished  Maggie  now,  some 
other  one  of  the  ladies  had  best  do  the  talking." 

"  No,  Mrs.  Hughes,"  said  the  Sprightly  One, 
"  we  want  to  hear  from  you." 

"  You  have  had  the  most  experience,  and  it 's 
but  just  you  should  do  the  most  talking.  We 
only  ask  the  privilege  of  interrupting  you  when 
we  have  anything  to  say,"  observed  Dolly. 

"  Yes,  we  reserve  the  privilege  of  all  side  re- 
marks," said  one  who  had  spoken  but  seldom. 

"  Supposing,"  said  the  Practical  Person,  "  we 
were  all  of  us  proficient  housewives,  what  would 
you  advise  as  the  first  step  in  the  regulation  of 
our  service  .-'  " 

"There  is  an  adage  which  I  can  recall  but 
feebly,  but  it 's  something  to  the  effect  that  one 
must  catch  a  bird  before  he  eats  it.  The  first 
step  in  this  servant  question  is  to  choose  wisely. 
I  look  back  now  upon  the  time  when  I  was 
changing  every  week  or  so,  and  I  can  see  how 
little  shrewdness  I  showed  in  the  matter  of  my 
choice.  If  a  girl  comes  to  you  all  dressed  in 
cheap  and  gaudy  finery,  you  don't  want  her. 
Even  if  she  's  dressed  soberly,  but  with  clothes 


SELECTING  AND  MANAGING  SERVANTS.  55 

beyond  her  means  and  station,  —  imitation  seal- 
skin cloak,  kid  gloves,  or  anything  of  that  kind, 
—  you  don't,  as  a  general  thing,  want  her." 

"Oh,  I  never  trouble  myself  about  their  dress, 
so  they  do  their  work  and  look  well,"  said  the 
Imitation  Millionnaire, 

"  I  don't  think  that 's  any  of  our  business," 
remarked  one  of  the  Silent  Members. 

"I  do,"  said  Dolly;  "but  I  don't  know  just 
what  to  do  about  it.  I  'm  often  bothered  by- 
having  my  cook  put  more  white  skirts  into  the 
wash  than  I  do,  and  I  've  known  her  to  spend  a 
long  time  ironing  fancy  lace  collars." 

"  I  hold  that  it  is  both  our  right  and  our  duty 
to  prevent  this,"  said  Mrs.  Hughes.  "  To  a 
certain  extent,  the  large  majority  of  servants 
are  minors,  —  not  in  actual  age  perhaps,  but 
in  judgment,  intellect,  and  reasoning  capacity. 
They  need  to  be  controlled  for  their  own  good. 
By  reason  of  our  superior  education  and  posi- 
tion, we  ought  to  possess  a  great  influence  over 
them.  I  believe  that  God  expects  this,  and  holds 
us  accountable  for  it.  Many  of  our  servants 
are  foreigners  ;  they  come  from  countries  where 
they  received  very  small  wages  and  dressed  in 
homely,  coarse,  strong  garments.  Here  they  're 
paid  much  more,  and  before  long  they  begin  to 
ape  ladies  in  their  attire.  They  are  not  able 
to  get  the  best,  so  they  deal  in  the  imitation, — 


56  THE  BIDDY  CLUB. 

spending  all  their  wages  for  even  this.  When 
they  fall  ill  they  often  have  to  depend  on 
their  relatives  for  support,  and  in  some  cases 
these  relatives  are  barely  able  to  take  care  of 
themselves.  One  girl  out-dresses  another,  and 
straightway  a  false  spirit  of  emulation  is  aroused. 
Some  servants  lay  up  money,  but  my  experience 
has  led  me  to  think  that  most  of  them  spend  all 
they  earn  ;  more  than  that,  they  are  often  in 
debt  to  some  obliging  friend,  and  instances  are 
terribly  common  of  girls  who  have  been  tempted 
to  dishonesty  and  other  crimes  by  their  desire 
for  dress." 

"  What  can  we  do  about  it .? "  asked  Dolly. 

"  Forbid  it.  " 

"  But  supposing  most  ladies  allow  it,  then  we 
should  be  unable  to  get  servants." 

"  Yes,  there  is  much  danger  of  that,"  said 
Mrs.  Hughes ;  "  and,  as  I  understand  it,  you 
wish  to  have  clubs  like  this  formed,  so  that 
ladies  can  be  induced  to  make  some  uniform 
rules  on  these  very  subjects." 

"  Yes,  that  is  it,"  said  Dolly ;  "  but  it  will  be 
long  before  these  clubs  are  universal,  even  if 
ours  meets  with  success  and  starts  others. 
And  what  is  one  to  do  in  the  mean  time  .'' " 

"  After  I  had  trained  myself  and  found  out 
what  I  wanted  from  my  servants,  I  used  to  rea- 
son in  this  way :  if  I  am  going  to  require  some 


SELECTING  AND  MANAGING  SERVANTS.  $7 

extras,  I  must  offer  some  extras.  I  used  to 
patronize  two  intelligence  offices  by  turns,  — 
both  very  good  places,  —  and  there  I  soon  ac- 
quired a  certain  reputation  as  a  mistress,  so  that 
before  a  girl  came  to  apply  for  the  place  she 
knew  about  what  to  expect.  I  did  not  learn 
all  this  at  the  time,  but  I  was  told  afterward 
that  I  was  spoken  of  at  these  places  as  very 
strict,  very  particular  ;  but  girls  were  assured 
that  I  would  treat  them  with  the  greatest  kind- 
ness and  the  greatest  justice,  and  that  with  me 
they  could  have  some  privileges  not  granted  by 
most  mistresses." 

"  What,  for  instance  ? "  asked  the  Sprightly 
Member. 

"  That  of  time,  principally.  Sundays  my  cook 
and  nurse  alternated.  One  morning  the  cook 
went  to  church  ;  that  afternoon  she  took  care  of 
the  children,  and  the  nurse  went  out  right  after 
our  two-o'clock  dinner  and  stayed  till  bedtime. 
At  about  half-past  six  the  cook  was  also  free  to 
go.  The  next  Sunday  the  cook  had  the  extra 
time  ;  and  so  on.  During  the  week  the  cook 
could  go  out  one  day  right  after  our  dinner, 
which  we  took  at  two,  and  stay  till  bedtime, — 
the  nurse  washing  the  dinner-dishes  and  getting 
tea ;  another  day  the  nurse  had  that  privilege, 
and  the  cook  attended  to  her  duties.  Besides 
this,  each  girl  had  one  evening,  being  free  to  go 


58  THE  BIDDY  CLUB. 

at  seven  and  to  leave  the  rest  of  her  work  for 
the  other  servant.  Washing  and  ironing  days 
the  nurse  cooked  and  cleared  away  the  breakfast. 
My  washings  were  heavy  ;  but  with  this  help,  the 
girl,  by  rising  early,  could  end  her  work  in  the 
afternoon  and  rest  one  or  two  hours  before  tea. 
My  ironing  was  all  done  in  a  day.  For  some 
years,  now,  we  have  washed  on  Monday  and 
ironed  Wednesday." 

"Why  do  you  prefer  that  arrangement.-'" 
asked  the  Millionnaire. 

"  The  suggestion  came  to  me  from  a  servant, 
who  asked  permission  to  wash  Saturday,  so  that 
she  could  have  a  day  of  comparative  rest  before 
ironing.  Washing  and  ironing  are  the  hardest 
work  the  girls  have ;  and  I  think  it  is  better,  for 
the  health's  sake,  if  we  can  separate  them.  It 
was  no  trouble  to  me  to  do  so.  Indeed,  it  was 
a  convenience  in  the  winter,  for  the  clothes 
rarely  dried  in  one  day.  In  summer  the  girl 
packed  the  wash  into  two  large  baskets,  covered 
them  over,  and  set  them  aside  until  late  Tues- 
day afternoon,  when  she  sprinkled  and  folded 
them." 

"  If  you  had  had  dinner  at  night,  Mrs. 
Hughes,"  said  the  Practical  Person,  "  you  could 
not  have  given  your  servants  so  much  time." 

"  We  did  dine  at  night,  until  Mr.  Hughes 
wished  to  change  the  dinner-hour  on  the  score 


SELECTING  AND  MANAGING  SERVANTS.  59 

of  health  ;  and  I  think  my  servants  had  fully  as 
much  time,  only,  of  course,  it  was  taken  differ- 
ently. I  let  them  go  in  the  forenoon  and  stay 
until  about  four  in  the  afternoon." 

"  Mrs.  Hughes,"  said  Dolly,  "  will  you  please 
give  us  a  plan  of  your  work  .■'  " 

"  Certainly  ;  but  it  may  not  suit  your  house- 
holds. Monday  we  washed  ;  Tuesday,  swept 
the  upper  part  of  the  house  and  baked  ;  Wednes- 
day, ironed  ;  Thursday,  the  silver  was  cleaned, 
and  the  upstairs  windows,  and  then,  at  about 
three,  the  cook  generally  went  out.  I  never 
had  an  inflexible  time  for  this,  but  I  thought  it 
would  be  pleasanter  for  her  to  know  beforehand 
when  she  could  go,  so  as  to  arrange  to  meet 
friends,  and  generally  this  was  her  day.  Friday 
morning  she  swept  downstairs,  and  after  dinner 
sewed  and  took  care  of  the  children  for  the 
nurse,  who  usually  went  out  that  day." 

"Well,  if  your  cook  would  sew,  it  was  remark- 
able. Mine  will  never  do  an  e.xtra  thing,"  said 
the  Millionnaire. 

"  My  cook  is  perfectly  willing  to  sew,  but  it  is 
I  who  object,  for  I  don't  admire  her  style,"  said 
the  Sprightly  Lady. 

"  I  generally  selected  some  of  the  simplest 
mending  for  her  afternoon's  work,  —  the  clothes 
that  needed  buttons,  or  some  of  the  oldest  gar- 
ments that  were   not  worthy  of  fine  work.      I 


60  THE  BIDDY  CLUB. 

have  had  cooks  who  sewed  quite  well,  but  that 
was  not  usual.  Saturday,  the  baking,  scrubbing, 
and  downstairs  windows  filled  the  day.  Our 
baking  was  very  light,  or  we  could  not  have 
accomplished  so  much  ;  but  we  had  several 
ends  in  mind,  and  tried  to  compass  them. 
First  of  all,  I  wanted  on  Saturday  to  have  some 
little  dessert  made  for  Sunday.  We  also  had 
beans  baked ;  for  both  my  husband  and  my- 
self were  fond  of  them,  and  as  they  are 
nutritious  we  made  an  entire  dinner  off  them 
every  wash-day,  with,  of  course,  the  accompani- 
ment of  bread  and  butter,  some  pickles,  per- 
haps, or  sauce.  If  I  wished  to  have  for  Sunday 
any  meat  that  would  require  long  cooking,  this 
was  at  least  partially  done  on  Saturday.  On 
Tuesday  we  always  had  something  prepared  for 
the  ironing-day  dinner,  and  on  both  Tuesday 
and  Saturday  some  tea  dishes,  such  as  veal  loaf, 
jellied  chicken,  sauces,  and  so  on.  These  we 
would  use  for  tea  on  wash-day  and  ironing-day, 
or  when  either  servant  was  out  ;  so  that  at  those 
times,  with  bread  and  butter  or  toast,  or  rolls 
(which  were  made  with  the  bread),  we  had  a  nice 
tea  ready  without  any  effort." 

"  Did  n't  you  bake  cake  or  pies  .-* "  asked  a 
Silent  Member. 

"  Sometimes,  but  not  often ;  we  generally  had 
some  nice  fruit-cake  on  hand.      Two  or  three 


SELECTING  AND  MANAGING  SERVANTS.  6 1 

loaves  of  this  would,  in  a  cake-box,  keep  until 
it  was  eaten,  —  several  months,  perhaps.  We 
did  n't  care  for  it  when  we  were  alone ;  but  if 
some  friends  dropped  in  we  could  have  a  few 
slices  on  the  table,  to  be  taken  or  not  as  one 
chose.  We  used  to  laugh  about  this,  and  say  we 
thought  such  cake  injurious  for  ourselves,  and 
so  we  kept  it  for  guests.  Some  weeks  we  had 
thin  crisp  cookies  made,  but  it  was  generally 
so  long  before  I  could  get  them  eaten  that  I  did 
not  have  them  often." 

"  Your  children  must  have  been  wonderful  !  " 
said  the  Imitation  Millionnaire. 

"  My  children  were  seldom  allowed  to  taste 
even  the  plainest  cake.  I  think  many  people 
make  a  great  mistake  in  this  matter.  Grow- 
ing children  need  very  plain,  nutritious,  nicely- 
cooked  food.  It  would  be  better  for  all  of  us  to 
eat  such,  but  they  especially,  with  their  bones 
and  muscles  forming,  need  that  and  no  other. 
Now,  time  is  saved,  and  money  is  saved  (in  the 
health  gained),  by  providing  such  food,  and  omit- 
ting the  great  quantity  of  cakes  and  pies  that  is 
consumed  by  almost  every  average-sized  Amer- 
ican family.  It  has  been  my  effort  for  years  to 
simplify  my  work  as  much  as  possible." 

"  Did  n't  you  care  for  your  table  .-'"  asked  the 
Sprightly  One.  She  had  quite  a  knack  for  table 
arrangements. 


62  THE  BIDDY  CLUB. 

"  My  table  was  my  pride,"  said  Mrs.  Hughes, 
with  a  quiet  smile. 

"  Oh,  we  've  all  heard  of  Mrs.  Hughes's 
table,"  said  the  Millionnaire,  politely.  But  I 
fancied  I  could  detect  a  sort  of  undercurrent 
of  surprise  that  the  table  should  have  estab- 
lished such  a  reputation,  in  view  of  recent 
revelations. 

"  How  did  you  manage,  Mrs.  Hughes,  to  have 
your  table  at  once  so  simple  and  so  elegant  ? " 
asked  Dolly. 

"  I  contrived  early  in  my  housekeeping  ex- 
perience to  buy  very  pretty  dishes.  I  bought 
them  with  money  I  saved  by  denying  myself 
knick-knacks.  My  set  was  white  china,  very 
thin  and  nice  ;  and  besides  this,  I  gathered,  piece 
by  piece,  quite  an  assortment  of  dainty  extra 
dishes." 

"  And  did  those  satisfy  hunger .?  "  exclaimed 
the  Sprightly  One.  "  What  a  model  Mr.  Hughes 
must  have  been  !  I  can  fancy  Billy's  rage  if 
I  were  to  try  to  lunch  him  on  an  exquisite 
cracker-dish." 

Everybody  laughed  at  this,  but  Dolly  ex- 
claimed, — 

"  Now,  Jenny !  you  know  you  said,  only  the 
other  day,  that  your  handsome  little  dishes  had 
many  a  time  kept  guests  from  seeing  that  you 
had  n't  much  for  lunch  !  " 


SELECTING  AND  MANAGING  SERVANTS.  63 

"I  didn't  say  they'd  fooled  Billy,  though! 
He  looks  right  through  them  to  what 's  inside." 

"  It  sounds  absurd,  perhaps,"  said  Mrs.  Hughes, 
"  but  it  is  nevertheless  true,  that  delicious  cookine: 
and  handsome  serving  make  very  simple  dishes 
appetizing.  Now,  a  frequent  breakfast  with  us — 
for  we  had  it  Sundays,  and  washing  and  ironing 
days  —  was  fruit,  oatmeal,  and  eggs.  If  I  had 
had  those  all  on  the  table  at  once,  and  in  common 
ware,  they  would  n't  have  amounted  to  much  ; 
but  I  had  a  lovely  odd  dish  for  the  fruit,  another 
for  the  oatmeal,  and  still  another  for  the  eggs 
(the  latter  being  accompanied  by  dainty  little 
egg-cups),  and  each  one  of  these  articles  of  food 
formed  a  separate  course." 

"What,  each  egg!"  whispered  the  Sprightly 
Person. 

"  Perhaps  you  have  seen  Mrs,  Henderson's 
cook-book.  She  strongly  urges  the  course 
system.  She  says  if  you  have  but  two  dishes, 
you  will  find  that  if  you  serve  them  in  two 
separate  courses  they  will  go  farther,  and  your 
table  will  be  more  elegant." 

"It's  all  very  well  to  talk  of  thin  china  and 
glasses  and  unique  dishes,"  said  the  Practical 
Lady  ;  "  but  I  should  say  we  'd  either  got  to  have 
a  different  class  of  servants,  or  wash  all  these 
things   ourselves." 

"  I  don't    quite   agree   with    you,"  said    Mrs. 


64  THE  BIDDY  CLUB. 

Hughes.  "I  suffered  more  or  less  damage  at 
first,  but  then  I  made  some  changes  that  effected 
much  good,  I  bought  an  extra  table  ;  it  was  only 
a  common  one,  but  I  placed  it  in  the  dining- 
room  close  to  the  kitchen  door.  When  we  were 
not  eating  I  kept  a  pretty  cover  on  it,  and  a  few 
books  and  papers  ;  but  at  meal-times  the  servant 
laid  these  aside  and  cleared  the  dishes  on  to  it. 
I  made  a  rule  that  no  silver,  china,  or  fancy  dish 
was  ever  to  be  taken  out  into  the  kitchen,  ex- 
cepting as  was  necessary  to  serve  a  meal.  Then 
I  made  another  rule,  to  the  effect  that  I  should 
hold  my  cook  responsible  for  anything  broken. 
I  told  her  I  counted  a  dish  broken  if  it  was  even 
slightly  nicked.  I  looked  over  the  dishes  with 
her  every  little  while,  and  if  there  was  any  nicked 
piece  I  took  it  out  and  she  had  to  replace  it." 

"  Supposing  she  could  n't  find  another  such 
dish,"  said  Dolly. 

"  My  china  was  easily  matched,  being  white  ; 
as  for  the  odd  pieces,  occasionally  she  would  be 
unable  to  duplicate  one  of  these  ;  in  that  case 
she  had  to  forfeit  as  much  of  her  wasres  as  I 
thought  right.  I  was  forced  to  make  this  rule 
to  protect  myself,  as  I  had  so  much  broken. 
Mr.  Hughes  thought  it  rather  hard ;  but  I  told 
him  it  made  a  more  careful  woman  of  my  ser- 
vant, and  so  was  a  benefit  to  her,  and  it  saved 
me  from  suffering  from  another's  carelessness," 


SELECTING  AND  MANAGING  SERVANTS.  65 

"  Did  you  have  your  nice  dishes  washed  in  the 
dining-room  ?  "  asked  the  Milhonnaire. 

"  Yes,  right  on  my  smaller  table  ;  and  I  told 
the  girl  she  could  be  longer  at  that  work  than 
she  was  washing  the  kitchen  dishes,  and  so  be 
more  careful.     Of  course,  I  used  my  judgment 
in  the  matter  of  replacing.     If  a  girl  lived  with 
me  a  long  time   without  breaking  anything,   I 
would  sometimes  excuse  an  accident  of  this  kind. 
Then,  again,  once  in  a  while  the  circumstances 
were  such  that  the  fault  was  in  itself  excusable  ; 
but  generally  I  enforced  the  rule,  and  I   found 
that  breakages  diminished  with  pleasing  rapid- 
ity.    Under  some  circumstances,  after  finding  it 
necessary  for  a  servant  to  replace  a  dish,  I  have 
made  a  present  of  the  money  to  her  later.     As 
the  nurse  often  washed  the  dishes,  of  course  she 
was  once  in  a  while  at  fault ;  but  I  trusted  to 
her  honor  to  make  good  any  carelessness.    I  had 
to  select  one  of  the  girls  and  hold  her  respon- 
sible, but  I  felt  sure  the  nurse  would  not  let  the 
cook  suffer  unjustly." 

"You  had  great  confidence  in  their  truth- 
fulness," said  the  Millionnaire,  with  a  superior 
smile. 

"  Yes,  and  with  great  cause.  I  have  had  much 
experience  with  these  girls,  and  I  can  say  now 
that  after  I  had  passed  my  first  housekeeping 
year  and  learned  how  to  choose  servants,  I  never 

5 


66  THE  BIDDY  CLUB. 

had  but  one  who  was  untruthful.  That  was  an 
Irish  cook  ;  and  even  she  would  tell  the  truth  if 
I  pinned  her  down  to  it,  but  otherwise  she  would 
evade  me  at  times." 

"  I  wish  you  would  teach  us  how  to  choose  so 
marvellously  well,"  sighed  the  Sprightly  Lady. 

"  All  there  is  about  it  is  to  select  a  quiet, 
steady-looking,  willing  girl.  You  want  her  to  be 
intelligent,  for  unless  she  is  she  will  not  make  a 
good  servant  ;  you  cannot  reason  with  her,  and 
she  can  never  advance  in  learning.  I  always  pre- 
ferred such  a  girl,  with  medium  acquirements,  to 
one  who  knew  more  and  thought  she  knew  all." 

"  I  don't  believe  one  girl  out  of  a  hundred 
would  stand  it  if  I  made  such  rules  about  dishes," 
said  the  Practical  Person. 

"  I  had  a  great  many  servants,  and  although 
some  of  them  demurred  a  little,  none  of  them 
seriously  objected,  and  when  they  left  it  was  gen- 
erally because  I  sent  them  away  ;  for  I  changed 
often  in  my  efforts  to  find  a  girl  who  would  do 
excellent  work.  I  talked  plainly  with  them,  tell- 
ing them  that  if  I  were  to  go  into  their  room 
and  break  or  damage  something  belonging  to 
them,  they  would  think  it  strange  if  I  did  not 
replace  it,  and  I  should  feel  very  mean  if  I  did 
not.  I  told  them,  too,  that  if  I  rented  a  furnished 
house,  an  inventory  of  the  articles  in  that  house 
would  be  handed  me  when  I  went  in,  and  then  I 


SELECTING  AND  MANAGING  SERVANTS.  67 

would  be  held  accountable  for  everything.  As 
for  the  natural  wear  and  tear  of  utensils,  I  had 
nothing  to  say  ;  but  certainly  it  would  be  very 
unjust  to  let  me  suffer  for  any  actual  carelessness 
of  theirs.  Often  the  most  difficult  part  was  to 
convince  a  girl  that  she  was  at  fault,  especially 
when  a  dish  or  glass  was  only  slightly  nicked. 
She  was  not  always  conscious  of  having  done 
this,  and  thought  it  might  have  happened  at  the 
table  ;  but  I  always  told  her  she  could  look  at 
the  dishes  before  she  washed  them,  and  if  she 
found  any  such  damage  she  must  let  me  know, 
and  that  would  relieve  her  of  blame." 

"  What  would  families  who  are  crowded  with 
work  do,  Mrs.  Hughes,  if  the  cook  stopped  half 
an  hour  to  look  over  the  dishes  after  every 
meal.?"  asked  the  Practical  Person. 

"They  can't  carry  matters  so  far,  of  course. 
If  a  woman  has  a  large  family  and  moderate 
means,  she  will  be  forced  to  put  up  with  a  great 
many  things  that  can  be  arranged  dilTerently  in 
smaller  or  wealthier  households,  for  the  same 
reason  that  she  must  dress  more  simply  than 
richer  women.  But  I  do  think  that  as  far  as 
actual  breakages  are  concerned,  we  ladies  might 
combine  to  require  our  servants  to  repair  such 
damage.  This  is  another  point  which  we  ought 
to  gain  by  holding  council  on  the  subject,  as  we 
are  doing  to-day." 


68  THE  BIDDY  CLUB. 

"  Mrs.  Hughes,"  said  one  of  the  more  Silent 
Members,  "  you  spoke  awhile  ago  of  a  servant's 
dress.  Did  you  make  any  special  rules  about 
that  ? " 

"  Not  until  I  had  been  much  annoyed  by  their 
poor  dressing.  They  were  either  under-dressed 
or  over-dressed  half  the  time,  so  I  finally  adopted 
a  uniform  for  them.  It  consisted  of  a  calico 
gown  made  with  full  skirt  and  plain  waist. 
Each  girl  had  three  of  these  suits,  and  wore 
one  mornings  with  gingham  aprons,  and  another 
afternoons  with  white  aprons,  white  surplice,  or 
collar,  and  cap.  Every  week  the  morning  gown 
of  the  preceding  week  was  put  into  the  wash 
and  the  afternoon  gown  took  its  place,  while  a 
fresh  one  was  worn  in  the  afternoon." 

"  Could  you  get  your  girls  to  wear  caps  ? 
I  have  had  some  trouble  about  that,"  said  the 
Millionnaire. 

"  Some  girls  did  not  object  at  all ;  others  did, 
and  at  first  I  did  not  insist  upon  it.  But  Mr. 
Hughes  and  I  were  both  so  annoyed  by  finding 
an  occasional  misplaced  hair,  that  I  made  a  rule 
that  the  cook  must  wear  a  close  cap  whenever 
she  was  on  duty.  I  told  her  no  man  would 
think  of  cooking  without  one  ;  all  bakers  wore 
them,  and  she  must.  The  nurse's  cap  was  dif- 
ferent, and  was  worn  because  it  helped  keep 
the  hair  tidy  and  made  the  girl  look  neat.     As 


SELECTING  AND  MANAGING  SERVANTS.  69 

these  caps  were  more  or  less  becoming,  few  ob- 
jected to  wearing  them;  the  chief  trouble  was 
about  doing  them  up  and  keeping  a  clean  one 
always  on  hand.  I  know  that  in  some  cities 
the  girls  have  rebelled  against  these  caps.  I 
read  some  time  ago  that  in  England  many  of 
the  servants  had  refused  to  wear  them.  But 
whatever  we  think  best  to  do  about  the  nurses 
and  waitresses,  I  think  we  should  insist  upon  our 
cooks  wearing  close  caps  when  they  are  cook- 
ing. I  did  n't  succeed  in  adopting  this  uniform 
until  I  was  able  to  help  the  girls  buy  it ;  but  I 
think  we  ladies  could  form  a  combination  on 
this  subject,  as  on  others,  and  compel  the  wear- 
ing of  some  such  simple,  neat  garb.  Certainly 
it  is  cheap  enough  for  them  to  afford  it.  I 
remember  that  when  I  visited  one  of  the  largest 
dry-goods  stores  in  Montreal,  I  was  struck  by  the 
fact  that  all  the  female  clerks  wore  black  gowns 
and  white  collars  ;  and  I  was  told  that  it  was  a 
rule  of  the  house.  I  suppose  the  proprietors 
wished  to  do  away  with  the  tawdry  styles  so 
much  in  vogue  among  shop-girls.  I  have  been 
told  of  some  very  select  hotels  and  boarding- 
houses  in  this  country  where  the  servants  are 
all  required  to  dress  in  dark  cahcoes  and  white 
aprons." 

"Do  you  object  to  a  plain  woollen  gown?" 

asked  Dolly. 


70  THE  BIDDY  CLUB. 

"  1  do,  because  it  absorbs  perspiration  and 
cannot  be  washed ;  and,  worn  by  a  working 
girl,  it  soon  becomes  unpleasant.  I  let  them 
wear  such  gowns  when  they  go  out,  if  they 
wish." 

"I  suppose  they  dress  as  they  please,  then," 
said  Dolly. 

"  Probably  they  burst  forth  in  orange  and  red, 
to  atone  for  their  forced  sobriety  in  the  house," 
said  the  Sprightly  Person. 

"  They  might  have  done  so,  bad  they  not  been 
restrained." 

"  Did  you  make  rules  about  that } "  asked  a 
Silent  One. 

"  No,  not  exactly.  You  know  there  are  many 
ways  of  restraining.  You  can  bring  a  strong 
influence  to  bear  upon  a  girl,  and  improve  her 
taste." 

"Yes,"  said  a  Quiet  Lady;  "I  had  an  Irish 
cook  who  always  wore  a  long  white  feather  on 
her  hat,  and  a  gay  gown,  when  she  went  out.  I 
made  her  a  present  of  a  pretty,  simple,  gray  suit, 
and  talked  to  her  kindly,  until  at  last  she  came 
to  dress  quite  modestly." 

"  That  is  certainly  the  best  mode  ;  but  all 
girls  are  not  amenable  to  such  control.  I  had 
an  Irish  servant  who,  though  lax  about  dress 
when  doing  her  work,  would  go  out  of  an  even- 
ing wearing  a  brocaded  velvet,  with  a  button-hole 


SELECTING  AND  MANAGING  SERVANTS.  7 1 

bouquet,  fancy  hat,  and  so  on.  I  believe  the 
girl's  character  was  good  ;  but  I  told  her  that 
her  foolish  mode  of  dress  laid  her  liable  to  very 
unjust  and  injurious  suspicions.  She  did  not 
mend  her  toilet,  and  for  this  and  various  faults 
I  dismissed  her." 

"  What  do  you  think  about  our  girls'  wearing 
frizzes  } "  asked  one  of  the  Silent  Members. 

"  To  friz  or  not  to  friz,  is  now  the  question," 
said  the  Sprightly  Young  Person. 

*'  I  prefer  to  have  them  wear  their  hair  plain  ; 
but  then  they  are  human.  They  wish  to  look 
well,  and  in  cases  where  a  little  crimping  will 
greatly  increase  their  good  looks  I  have  never 
forbidden  it.  Sometimes  we  have  compromised; 
they  have  worn  plainly-dressed  hair  at  home,  and 
crimped  hair  when  going  out.  Two  things  I 
have  always  emphatically  forbidden  :  one,  •  the 
wearing  of  bushy  bangs,  or  a  mass  of  frizzes,  — 
frizzes  so  seldom  combed  that  hairs  are  always 
falling  from  them  ;  and  another,  appearing  with 
the  hair  done  up  in  any  kind  of  crimping  papers 
or  pins.  It  is  mortifying  to  think  that  there  are 
so-called  ladies  who  not  only  appear  around  their 
houses  so,  but  even  sit  down  at  table  with  their 
hair  done  up  in  crimps." 

"  If  a  servant  has  no  occasion  to  come  into  the 
dining-room,  do  you  allow  her  to  wear  her  hair 
so  in  the  kitchen  ? "  asked  the  Practical  Person. 


•J 2  THE  BIDDY  CLUB. 

"  By  no  means  !  "  said  Mrs.  Hughes,  with  a 
somewhat  heated  emphasis.  "  I  have  always 
told  them  that  if  they  wished  to  crimp  their 
hair  they  must  put  it  up  at  night  and  take  it 
down  in  the  morning." 

"  But  in  the  summer  the  heat  will  take  all  the 
crimp  out  of  hair  in  the  course  of  a  few  hours," 
said  the  Practical  Lady. 

"  Yes,  so  they  have  told  me  ;  and  to  prevent 
this  I  let  them  wear  a  little  black  lace  veil, 
bound  tightly  over  the  hair  after  the  papers 
are  taken  out.  This  does  not  look  badly,  and 
it  preserves  the  crimps." 

But  just  here  Mrs.  Hughes  glanced  at  the 
clock,  and  rose  abruptly. 

"  I  do  not  want  to  leave  you  in  exactly  the 
same  way  as  last  time,  but  I  must  say  that  if 
I  had  not  apologized  then  for  keeping  you  so 
long,  I  should  certainly  do  so  now." 

"  Don't  apologize,  Mrs.  Hughes,"  said  Dolly ; 
"  '  art  is  long,'  and  so  are  some  servant  girls,  and 
we  want  to  make  the  most  of  them." 

"  I  should  say  some  are  long  !  "  ejaculated  the 
Sprightly  Lady.  "  My  last  maid  was  seven  feet, 
if  she  was  an  inch.  She  looked  like  a  pair  of 
mounted  tongs.  I  respected  her  highly.  I  was 
really  afraid  to  do  anything  else ;  and  then,  she 
seemed  so  beautifully  adapted  by  Nature  for  the 
highest  of  everything." 


SOME  DIFFICULT  PROBLEMS.  y^ 


CHAPTER   V. 

SOME    DIFFICULT    PROBLEMS. 

AS  soon  as  the  ladies  were  all  assembled, 
Dolly  opened  the  meeting  by  saying,  with 
some  hesitancy,  — 

"Mrs.  Hughes,  I  would  like  to  ask  you  a 
question  on  a  rather  delicate  and  unpleasant 
subject." 

"  Oh,  don't !  "  exclaimed  the  Sprightly  Lady  ; 
"  pray  don't  let 's  have  anything  delicate  or 
unpleasant." 

"We  must,"  persisted  Dolly,  laughing,  "for 
I  crave  information.  '  I  want  to  know,'  as 
some  Eastern  peoiole  say.  You  spoke  about 
the  woollen  gowns  worn  by  servants  becoming 
unpleasant  from  perspiration.  I  have  had  so 
much  trouble  with  my  servants  on  that  account. 
Their  room  is  always  disagreeable  to  me,  —  and 
I  have  wondered  if  they  bathe  as  often  as  they 
should." 

The  Millionnaire  laughed. 

"  I  can  tell  you  in  a  word  that  they  don't," 
said  she. 


74  THE  BIDDY  CLUB. 

"  I  have  feared  so,"  said  Dolly  ;  "  but  what  can 
we  do  about  it  ?  " 

"  Do  the  best  we  can,  and  put  their  room  as  far 
off  as  possible,"  said  the  Imitation  Millionnaire. 

"  If  I  may  be  allowed  to  differ,  I  would  like  to 
suggest  another  way,"  said  Mrs.  Hughes.  "  We 
can  require  our  servants  to  bathe,  and  keep 
their  rooms  so  that  we  may  enter  them  without 
dread." 

"  But  it 's  such  a  delicate  subject  to  broach," 
said  Dolly.  "  I  could  scarcely  bring  myself  to 
tell  a  girl  to  take  a  bath.  I  should  feel  I  was 
insulting  her." 

"  As  a  general  thing,  you  will  find  that  those 
girls  who  need  to  be  told  are  not  very  sensitive 
on  the  subject.  I  have  had  exceptions  to  this 
rule  ;  but  still  I  know  of  no  other  way  for  a 
lady  to  protect  herself  and  her  house  from  the 
consequences  of  a  servant's  personal  neglect, 
than  by  requiring  the  girl  to  take  proper  care 
of  herself.  So  long  as  we  are  upon  this  subject 
of  bathing,  I  may  as  well  say  that  there  are 
others  besides  servants  who  neglect  this  part 
of  their  toilet." 

"  Oh,  I  know  that !  "  exclaimed  Dolly.  "  My 
physician  once  said  that  I  would  be  amazed  if 
he  should  tell  me  the  difficulty  he  experienced 
in  inducing  those  who  claimed  to  be  ladies  to 
take  care  of  their  health  in  this  respect." 


SOME  DIFFICULT  PROBLEMS.  75 

"  I  don't  think  he  need  have  spoken  of  ladies 
in  particular,"  said  Mrs.  Hughes,  "for  I  have 
heard  physicians  say  that  personal  cleanhness 
was  really  very  rare.  There  are  many  who 
think  a  weekly  bath  all-sufficient,  and  some 
take  but  a  semi-monthly." 

"  Well,  you  know,  Mrs.  Hughes,"  said  one  of 
the  Silent  Members,  "  many  people  regard  much 
bathing  as  injurious;  even  doctors  disapprove 
of  it  sometimes." 

"  Yes,  I  know  ;  they  talk  of  bathing  away  the 
flesh,  lowering  the  vitality,  and  so  on.  But  I 
can  never  understand  how  they  can  recommend 
people  to  carry  about,  on  their  clothes  and  their 
persons,  all  that  waste  of  the  system  which  every 
intelligent  man  or  woman  knows  the  skin  throws 
off  daily  if  it  does  its  lawful  work." 

"  But  don't  you  think  there  is  such  a  thing  as 
excessive  bathing } "  persisted  one  of  the  Silent 
Ladies. 

"  Certainly  ;  but  few  of  us  fall  into  that  error. 
I  think  that  too  frequent  warm  baths  are  weak- 
ening, and  I  know  that  some  people  arc  not  able 
to  take  cold  baths  because  they  have  not  vitality 
enough  to  react.  Still,  I  believe  that  is  because 
they  are  not  in  a  natural  condition.  But  I  have 
never  yet  seen  any  one  in  reasonable  health  who 
would  not  feel  benefited  by  a  quick  sponge  —  not 
plunge — bath  taken  daily,  with,  if  needful,  just 


^6  THE  BIDDY  CLUB. 

the  chill  off  the  water.  For  many  people,  doc- 
tors recommend  a  little  rock  or  sea  salt  dissolved 
in  the  bath  water.  This  sponging,  with  a  semi- 
weekly  thorough  warm  bath,  will  answer  all  the 
needs  of  cleanliness." 

"  I  have  been  told,"  said  Dolly,  "  that  it  is 
better  to  use  the  hand  in  a  bath  than  a  sponge 
or  cloth.     What  do  you  think,  Mrs.  Hughes  .-* " 

"  The  only  advantage  of  a  sponge  is,  that  in 
a  quick  bath  it  more  readily  and  neatly  gathers 
up  the  water  than  the  hand  can ;  but  I  don't 
doubt  that  an  after  rubbing  with  the  latter  is 
excellent  for  strengthening  purposes.  Some 
doctors  are  very  much  opposed  to  the  use  of 
a  sponge,  because  it  is  so  liable  to  retain  im- 
purities." 

"  Did  you  require  your  servants  to  bathe 
every  day  .-^  "  asked  the  Practical  Person. 

"  No  ;  but  they  were  always  obliged  to  bathe 
twice  a  week,  and  if  they  chose  to  do  more  I 
was  of  course  pleased.  Another  point  which  I 
was  forced  to  emphasize  with  them  was  the 
wearing  of  different  clothing  at  night  from  what 
they  wore  in  the  daytime ;  and  here  again  it  is 
not  servants  alone  who  are  at  fault,  for  I  have 
known  many  so-called  refined  people  who  in- 
dulged in  the  really  unclean  practice  of  wearing 
the  same  underclothing  night  and  day  both. 
Some  of  my  servants  had  to  be  told  to  wear 


SOME  DIFFICULT  PROBLEMS.  77 

nightgowns  ;  but  most  of  the  more  respectable 
girls  had  these,  though  all  of  them  failed  to  have 
different  flannels  for  night  and  day.  I  was 
especially  strict  with  my  nurse  upon  these 
points,  for  she  brought  a  cot  into  the  nursery, 
and  slept  there  nights  in  order  to  watch  over 
the  children,  and  of  course  I  wished  her  to  be 
very  tidy  personally." 

"  I  suppose,  of  course,  you  don't  permit  your 
servants  to  use  the  bath-room  .'' "  said  the  Mil- 
lionnaire. 

"  Certainly  not ;  they  have  a  small  bath-tub  in 
their  room,  and  separate  bath-towels." 

"  I  think,  Mrs.  Hughes,"  said  the  Practical 
Lady,  "  that  one  would  have  to  occupy  a  very 
independent  position  in  order  to  make  all  these 
requirements  of  servants." 

"  That  is  true  ;  but  I  managed  very  early  in 
my  married  experience  to  place  myself  there, 
and  I  think  others  could  do  the  same  if  they 
chose.  Before  I  had  kept  house  three  years  I 
made  most  of  these  conditions  with  my  maids, 
and  before  four  years  I  made  them  all." 

"  You  must  have  been  richer  than  some  of 
the  rest  of  us.  I  know  money  gives  indepen- 
dence," said  the  Practical  One,  with  a  sigh. 

"  No,  I  think  not ;  for  my  husband  and  I  began 
our  married  life  with  modest  means,  and  it  was 
many  years  before  we  were  even  what  would  be 

LONG  BEACH  LL^GUE 
FOR  TM£  HARD  OF  HEARING 


78  THE  BIDDY  CLUB. 

called  well  off,  financially.  But  we  were  of  one 
mind  upon  this  servant  question,  both  being 
agreed  to  have  servants,  —  good  servants  too. 
The  latter  we  knew  would  cost  money,  but  we 
regarded  them  as  less  expensive  in  the  end, 
saving  us,  as  we  felt  sure  they  would,  much 
of  the  wear  and  tear  of  life.  But  in  order  to 
obtain  such  service,  we  were  obliged  to  deny 
ourselves  many  things.  We  made  our  choice 
between  handsome  furniture,  handsome  cloth- 
ing, and  entertainments,  on  the  one  hand,  and 
good  servants  on  the  other.  That  is  to  say,  our 
house  was  furnished  simply,  —  indeed,  much  of 
the  furniture  was  home-made ;  but  we  used  to 
think  it  was  the  loveliest  house  we  ever  saw,  for 
it  had  so  many  simple  but  pretty  decorations  ; 
then  we  dressed  in  good  taste,  I  hope,  but  very 
plainly,  and  we  went  to  the  theatre  or  opera 
only  as  a  great  and  unusual  treat.  When  we 
first  kept  house  we  had  one  servant ;  but  as  soon 
as  a  little  child  came  to  our  fireside  we  kept 
two." 

"Then  you  believe  in  nurses,  Mrs.  Hughes.'*" 
said  one  of  the  Silent  Members. 

"  Yes,  most  decidedly." 

"Oh,  Mrs.  Hughes!"  exclaimed  the  Sprightly 
Lady.  "  I  fear,  then,  you  are  opposed  to  the 
devoted-mother  theory  ! " 

It  was  seldom  that  the  Sprightly  Lady's  fun 


SOME  DIFFICULT  PROBLEMS.  79 

ever  hurt  any  one,  and  Mrs.  Hughes  in  particu- 
lar understood  her  so  well,  and  thought  so  much 
of  her,  that  she  was  not  likely  to  be  wounded 
by  these  little  pleasantries  ;  but  this  time  I  saw 
a  faint  trace  of  pain  cross  her  face.  It  quickly 
passed,  and  was  followed  by  such  a  beautiful 
look  —  a  look  so  brimful  of  motherhood  —  that 
she  had  no  need  to  speak,  nor  did  she  try. 
Dolly,  however,  spoke  with  great  spirit  and 
energy  :  — 

"  There  seems  to  be  a  popular  fallacy  abroad 
to  the  effect  that  the  more  jaded  and  faded  a 
woman  looks,  the  more  motherly  she  must  be  ; 
or,  to  put  it  in  another  form,  that  unless  she 
is  jaded  and  faded  she  can't  be  motherly." 

"  Does  n't  that  fallacy,  as  you  call  it,  spring 
from  the  fact  that  a  mother's  duties  are  such 
that  if  she  performs  them  properly  she  must 
look  more  or  less  worn  out } "  said  the  Practical 
Person. 

"  I  must  disagree  with  you  there,"  said  Mrs. 
Hughes.  "Before  I  had  children  of  my  own,  I 
supposed  that  what  you  speak  of  was  a  neces- 
sary part  of  motherhood,  and  I  dreaded  it;  for  I 
prized  my  youth  and  fresh  looks,  and  I  knew  my 
husband  did  also.  But  I  thought  then,  as  now, 
that  no  home  could  be  complete  without  chil- 
dren. I  was  passionately  fond  of  them,  and  I 
made  up  my  mind  to  the  sacrifice.     But  I  very 


8o  THE  BIDDY  CLUB. 

soon  saw  that  I  had  been  misled  in  that  respect. 
I  found  that  by  the  exercise  of  good  common- 
sense  and  intelHgence  I  could  have  my  children 
begin  life  with  health,  and  could,  most  of  the 
time,  preserve  that  health.  I  found  that  by 
feeding  a  baby  properly,  and  training  it  to  good 
habits,  I  could  make  it  of  very  little  trouble.  As 
I  have  said,  from  the  first  I  kept  a  nurse-girl,  not 
alone  for  the  care  of  the  child,  but  because  its 
coming  greatly  increased  the  family  sewing.  If 
I  had  undertaken  to  do  all,  I  should  have  been 
constantly  tired,  besides  finding  no  time  to  re- 
fresh my  mind  and  body  with  reading  and  study." 

"  Did  your  nurse  do  the  sewing  } "  asked  the 
Practical  Person. 

"  She  did  all  the  mending  and  almost  all  the 
plain  sewing  of  the  whole  family ;  and  I  have 
even  had  some  dressmaking  done  by  her." 

"She  must  have  differed  widely  from  my 
nurse.  If  I  get  her  to  do  the  mending  I  think 
I  've  achieved  a  victory.  I  have  to  hire  my 
sewing,"  said  the  Millionnaire. 

"  I  rarely  ever  hired  a  particle  of  sewing  for 
the  children,  and  very  little  for  the  rest  of  us," 
said  Mrs.  Hughes. 

"But  how  could  your  girl  accomplish  it.-*" 
asked  the  Practical  Person, 

"  She  did  it  in  the  time  that  most  people's 
nurses  are  holding  or  amusing  the  baby.     My 


SOME  DIFFICULT  PROBLEMS.  8 1 

babies,   from    the   first,   were  taught  to   amuse 
themselves." 

"  But  did  n't  she  take  them  outdoors  ?  "  asked 
a  Silent  Lady. 

"  Yes  ;  but  in  the  winter  they  did  not  remain 
long,  and  in  the  summer  the  nurse  sat  out  in 
the  yard,  by  the  carriage  or  hammock,  and 
sewed.  When  they  were  old  enough  to  walk, 
they  minded  her  voice,  so  she  could  easily  sew, 
and  at  the  same  time  give  them  all  needful  at- 
tention while  they  played  with  their  toys  or  dug 
holes  in  the  sand.  My  babies  were  all  taught 
to  sleep  right  through  the  night ;  by  dint  of  a 
little  management  they  were  gradually  trained 
to  sleep  late  in  the  morning,  and  that  gave  the 
nurse  about  two  hours  before  she  had  to  attend 
to  them.  Then,  during  their  daily  nap  she  was 
again  free,  so  with  a  machine  she  could  accom- 
plish much  sewing." 

"  I  have  rarely  had  a  nurse  who  was  willing 
to  sew,"  said  the  Imitation  Millionnaire. 

"  I  made  that  a  part  of  my  engagement  with 
my  nurse,"  said  Mrs.  Hughes. 

"But  what  did  you  do  if  she  did  n't  know  how 
to  sew }  "  asked  the  Practical  Person. 

"  I  taught  her.  I  had  to  teach  all  who  came 
to  me,  to  a  certain  extent ;  for  even  those  who 
thought  they  knew  how  could  not  sew  well 
enough    to    suit    me.     Fortunately,    my    dear 

6 


82  THE  BIDDY  CLUB. 

mother  taught  me  the  very  ladylike  accom- 
plishment of  nice  needlework,  and  there  was 
nothing  of  that  kind  I  could  not  teach  my 
nurses.  Some  were  much  slower  to  learn  than 
others  ;  if  a  girl  disliked  sewing,  and  showed  no 
desire  or  aptitude  for  learning,  I  did  not  keep 
her.  I  had  to  train  my  nurses  in  many  ways, — 
always  in  the  art  of  waiting  on  the  table,  which 
was  one  of  their  duties.  Indeed,  I  have  had  so 
few  servants  come  to  me  with  any  knowledge  of 
this  latter  art,  that  I  have  all  but  decided  that 
people  out  here  must  reach  for  themselves  at 
their  tables." 

"  Mrs.  Hughes,"  said  the  Practical  Person, 
"do  you  think  it  is  right  for  a  woman  to  be 
leading  a  life  of  leisure  while  her  husband  is 
working  hard  ?  " 

"  By  no  means,"  answered  Mrs.  Hughes.  "  But 
if  she  carefully  superintends  her  entire  house- 
hold, if  she  watches  over  her  children  and  at- 
tends to  her  studies  and  social  duties,  she  will 
have  little,  very  little  spare  time  ;  she  will  be 
leading  a  very  pleasant,  but  a  very  busy,  working 
life." 

"  But  you  speak  of  social  duties  and  studies," 
said  the  Practical  Person.  "  I  have  always  thought 
those  came  in  the  list  of  extras,  —  especially  the 
studies,  —  and  were  only  to  be  pursued  by  people 
of  more  or  less  wealth  and  leisure." 


SOME  DIFFICULT  PROBLEMS.  83 

"  It  is  undoubtedly  true  that  they  do  require 
a  certain  amount  of  both.  There  is  a  class 
who  have  absolutely  no  time  for  them  without 
neglecting-  some  more  pressing  duty  ;  but  the 
majority  of  people  in  the  higher  walks  of  life 
are  not,  or  should  not  be,  so  situated.  Most  of 
them  can,  by  proper  management,  so  arrange 
their  time  as  to  pursue  all  the  occupations  of 
which  we  have  been  speaking." 

"  Still,"  persisted  the  Practical  Person,  "  the 
majority  of  husbands,  even  in  the  class  of  which 
you  speak,  are  working  hard,  and  it  does  not 
seem  right  for  their  wives  to  spend  much  time 
in  mere  amusement." 

"  Do  you  call  it  mere  amusement  when  a  wo- 
man is  cultivating  and  holding  a  proper  position 
in  society  }  "  exclaimed  Mrs.  Hughes.  "  Do  you 
call  it  mere  amusement  when  she  is  educating; 
herself }  Can  you  forget  that  children  will 
grow,  that  their  demands  will  change  and  in- 
crease .'•  Some  day  they  will  desire  and  need 
society.  Can  a  mother  who  has  kept  no  place 
in  society  furnish  them  with  suitable  compan- 
ions }  Companions  of  some  kind  they  will  have, 
you  may  be  sure,  and  if  the  mother  is  not  ready 
to  supply  them,  they  will  help  themselves,  so  to 
speak.  Can  a  mother  who  has  not  trained  her 
own  mind  carefully  and  rigorously,  hope  to  train 
the  minds  of  her  children  ?     I  think  that  it  is 


84  THE  BIDDY  CLUB. 

almost  as  unfortunate  for  children  to  have  an 
uneducated  mother,  —  one  who  is  lacking  in  in- 
telligence,—  as  one  who  is  lacking  in  principle. 
The  great  mistake  of  a  large  number  of  men 
and  women  who  advocate  maternal  devotion  is, 
that  they  always  think  of  children  as  infants. 
The  limit  of  motherhood  in  their  minds  is  the 
care  of  those  children  during  a  period  when 
their  wants  are  almost  purely  animal.  It  is  then, 
I  claim,  that  a  mother  may  and  should  econo- 
mize her  strength  and  time,  to  fit  herself  to 
respond  to  the  wants  of  her  children  when 
their  brains  —  their  souls  —  begin  to  cry  aloud. 
Motherhood,  if  properly,  viewed,  is  most  noble 
and  elevating.  By  reason  of  some  differences  of 
occupation  and  nature,  the  father  is  not  usually 
able  to  attend  to  these  matters.  The  social  posi- 
tion of  the  family,  the  companions  of  the  chil- 
dren, and  their  education  depend  almost  wholly 
upon  the  mother." 

•'  Don't  you  think  schools  answer  the  needs  of 
education  }  "  asked  a  Silent  Lady. 

"  Yes  ;  for  those  who  cannot  find,  it  at  home." 

"  Don't  you  believe  in  sending  children  to 
school?  "  asked  the  Imitation  Millionnaire. 

"  I  can  only  say  that  I  would  have  considered 
myself  painfully  deficient  in  motherhood  had  I 
sent  a  very  young  child  to  school.  My  children 
were  educated   at  home  until  they  were  quite 


SOME  DIFFICULT  PROBLEMS.  85 

large,  —  young  men  and  women  you  might  call 
them  ;  and  even  then  the  home  education  went 
on  and  formed  an  important  factor  in  the  mental 
training.  I  had  assistants,  I  myself  only  teach- 
ing certain  branches,  for  it  would  be  narrowing 
to  a  mind  to  receive  all  its  education  from  one 
person  ;  but  my  children  have  only  just  begun 
to  go  out  of  the  house  to  school  or  college." 

"  I  am  afraid  you  don't  believe  in  our  public 
schools,"  said  a  Silent  Lady,  anxiously. 

"  They  are  noble  institutions,  for  they  bestow 
education  upon  thousands  who  would  otherwise 
grow  up  to  be  ignorant,  incapable,  even  vicious 
citizens.  But  I  consider  them  poor  substitutes 
for  the  training  of  an  educated,  liberal-minded 
mother." 

"But,  Mrs.  Hughes,"  said  the  Sprightly  Lady, 
"  many  will  tell  you  that  in  its  rough-and-tumble 
life  at  school  a  child  learns  what  it  cannot  learn 
at  home." 

"  That  is  deplorably  true.  I  do  not  wish  to 
depreciate  all  of  that  training,  but  I  certainly 
have  tried  to  protect  my  children  from  most  of 
it.  I  consider  it  a  payment  a  child  makes  for  its 
education ;  but  I  always  preferred  to  have  my 
little  ones  learn  for  a  smaller  price.  I  know  that 
many  cultivated  people  maintain  that  it  is  best, 
for  boys  especially,  to  see  something  of  the  world. 
I  insist  that  the  primal  object  of  home  is  the 


S6  THE  BIDDY  CLUB. 

shielding  of  both  boys  and  girls  from  that  very- 
world  until  their  characters  have  been  at  least 
somewhat  strengthened  and  moulded,  and  their 
tastes  trained.  This  applies  to  very  young 
children  ;  as  they  grow  older,  I  believe  in  giv- 
ing them  glimpses  of  the  world ;  but  parents 
must  use  great  judgment  and  care  in  this,  and 
study  the  peculiar  needs  of  the  individual  child. 
I  do  not  believe  in  letting  either  a  young  man 
or  a  young  woman  step  out  into  the  world  in 
total  ignorance  of  it,  but  I  would  have  their 
knowledge  come  gradually,  and  only  in  propor- 
tion as  their  characters  and  training  warrant 
it  ;  and  certainly  I  believe  that  we  cannot  too 
carefully  guard  tender  childhood.  In  this  mat- 
ter of  woman's  education  there  is  another  point 
to  be  made.  I  feel  the  mother  has  some  mental 
duties  and  rights  of  her  own,  apart  from  her 
children.  Hamerton,  in  his  '  Intellectual  Life,' 
claims  that  the  influence  of  any  individual  is 
elevating  and  useful  just  in  proportion  to  the 
care  bestowed  on  his  own  character  and  mind. 
In  the  case  of  people  blessed  with  children, 
those  children  generally  become  their  strongest 
incentive ;  so  I  have  been  looking  at  the  mat- 
ter almost  wholly  from  that  standpoint.  But 
we  must  not  forget  that  this  standpoint  is  not 
the  only  one.  It  would  seem  as  if  this  were 
a  violent  digression  from  our  discussion  of  ser- 


SOME   DIFFICULT  PROBLEMS.  87 

vants  ;  but  it  seemed  to  come  about  naturally, 
and  to  be  the  legitimate  outgrowth  of  that  ques- 
tion as  to  a  woman's  right  to  keep  a  nurse-girl." 
I  watched  the  Pale  Lady's  face  carefully  dur- 
ing this  latter  discussion,  and  for  the  first  time 
since  the  Club  was  formed  I  detected  a  look  of 
interest  there.  It  was  but  slight ;  yet  on  that 
face  its  presence  was  so  unusual  that  it  was 
much  more  marked,  much  more  significant,  than 
a  look  of  deeper  interest  would  have  been  upon 
any  other  face  there.  What,  I  said  to  myself, 
if  Dolly's  Club  were  the  means  of  awakening 
this  unhappy  woman,  of  calling  her  to  life,  as  it 
were  !  I  speculated  much  as  to  the  possible 
effect  of  the  genuine  awakening  of  such  a  char- 
acter, —  the  effect  upon  her  own  life  and  that  of 
her  family.  From  her  husband  I  anticipated 
little,  —  men  of  his  age  and  stamp  seldom  change 
much  for  the  better  ;  but  for  the  lady  herself, 
and  through  her  for  her  children,  what  might  not 
be  hoped  if  she  really  became  interested  in  the 
subject  of  true  motherhood .''  I  thought  of  the 
young  and  growing  characters  depending  upon 
this  very  woman  for  guidance  and  formation, 
and  I  saw  that  she  could  not  be  awakened  to 
what  was  strong  and  good  without  affecting  them 
powerfully.  And  as  it  all  came  before  me,  a  re- 
spect which  I  had  not  felt  before  for  Dolly's 
Club  slowly  crept  into  my  mind,  and  I  deter- 


88  THE  BIDDY  CLUB. 

mined  to  apologize  to  my  little  woman  for  my 
previous  levity. 

"  While  we  are  upon  the  subject  of  nurses, 
Mrs.  Hughes,"  said  Dolly,  "  I  would  like  to 
speak  of  an  objection  a  lady  once  made  to  one 
of  mine.  She  considered  her  too  quiet,  and  was 
certain  I  'd  have  a  stupid  baby  if  I  did  n't  employ 
a  livelier  nurse. 

"  There  was,  I  should  say,  almost  enough  truth 
in  the  remark  to  blind  one  to  its  error.  As  a 
general  thing,  I  think  American  children  need 
quiet  nurses.  We  are  a  nervous,  excitable  race, 
and  everything  which  tends  to  check  our  natural 
tendencies  in  this  direction  is  a  help.  On  the 
other  hand,  it  is  undoubtedly  true  that  little 
children  left  too  much  in  charge  of  a  very  grave 
nurse  would  become  unnaturally  quiet,  and  pos- 
sibly dull.  But  I  should  have  no  fear  of  this  in 
a  case  like  yours,  where  the  little  ones  had  a 
mother  who  did  her  duty.  But,  whatever  may 
be  said  of  small  children,  for  babies,  so  far  as 
I  know,  reputable  physicians  with  one  accord 
recommend  soft  tones,  soft  lights,  and  general 
quiet.  This  jolting  of  infants  ;  this  romping 
with  and  screaming  at  them,  talking  to  them 
and  teaching  them,  —  this  premature  rousing  of 
their  little  brains  and  weak  nerves  is  by  thought- 
ful people  almost  universally  condemned.  I  know 
young  mothers  who  hold  the  opinion  that  unless 


SOME  DIFFICULT  PROBLEMS.  89 

they  talk  to  their  babies  the  little  ones  will  never 
talk  for  themselves.  It 's  very  well  to  begin  to 
do  some  teaching  in  this  respect  when  the  child 
is  old  enough  ;  but  few  parents  wait  for  that  time 
to  come.  Generally,  this  training  begins  at  birth, 
—  trying  to  make  it  laugh,  and  so  on.  All  this 
noisy  treatment  of  a  baby  is  bad  enough  when 
indulged  in  by  the  members  of  the  family,  but 
when  it  comes  from  a  noisy  servant-girl  I  think 
it  is  unbearable.  Aside  from  the  injury  to  the 
child,  the  servant  is  allowed  in  this  way  to  be 
entirely  too  familiar,  and  the  mistress  of  such  a 
maid  will  generally  find  that  she  will  overstep 
the  bounds  of  respectful  conduct  in  other  direc- 
tions. I  have  always  refused  to  keep  a  noisy 
servant." 

"  So  have  I,"  said  Dolly.  "  I  dismissed  a 
very  smart  German  nurse  once  for  that  reason 
alone." 

There  was  a  little  further  discussion  and  com- 
paring of  notes  on  this  subject,  and  then  the 
Club  adjourned  until  the  next  week,  —  I  making 
haste,  upon  my  first  opportunity,  to  see  Dolly, 
and  lay  my  increased  respect  and  my  contrition 
before  her. 


90  THE  BIDDY  CLUB. 


CHAPTER   VI. 

SCIENTIFIC    HOUSEKEEPING. 

"  T  HAVE  been  thinking  much,  since  last  see- 
-*-     ing  you,  on  the  subject  of  scientific  house- 
keeping,"  said   Mrs.   Hughes,  when    the   ladies 
had  reassembled  once  more. 

"That  is  giving  a  new  name  to  an  old  pursuit. 
It  is  something  like  making  over  an  aged  gown," 
said  the  Sprightly  Lady. 

"  The  name  ought  not  to  be  new,"  answered 
Mrs.  Hughes.  "Indeed,  I  believe  that  no  woman 
can  ever  be  a  fine  housekeeper  until  she  keeps 
house  scientifically,  —  it  matters  not  if  she  uses 
another  word,  so  her  methods  are  scientific.  I 
often  think  of  the  government  of  the  household 
in  comparison  with  the  government  of  the  state 
or  nation.  We  regard  national  government  as 
a  science  worthy  the  studious  attention  of  states- 
men ;  we  all  look  upon  political  economy  as  a 
science.  Domestic  government  and  domestic 
economy  are,  it  seems  to  me,  very  similar  in 
kind  ;  for  although,  of  course,  they  must  be  con- 
ducted on  a  much  smaller  scale,  yet  they  involve 


SCIENTIFIC  HOUSEKEEPING.  9 1 

many  of  the  same  principles.  If  women  would 
only  study  their  housekeeping  in  this  light,  I 
think  the  result  would  be  a  broadening  of  their 
minds  as  well  as  a  great  improvement  in  the 
housekeeping  itself.  The  wife,  the  mother,  is 
the  chief  executive  ;  it  becomes  necessary  to 
have  servants  under  her,  to  carry  out  her  orders, 
and  she  must  choose  wisely.  I  was  lately  read- 
ing of  a  recent  President,  that  one  of  his  dis- 
tinguishing traits  was  his  power  to  choose  able 
officers  and  then  take  unto  himself  the  credit  of 
their  work.  This  sounds  rather  unjust;  but  there 
is,  nevertheless,  a  large  admixture  of  justice  in 
it.  I  never  yet  have  seen  valuable  servants 
under  an  inefficient  mistress.  Such  servants, 
trained  in  superior  households,  might  possibly 
fall  into  the  hands,  so  to  speak,  of  an  inferior 
mistress  ;  but  I  feel  confident  that  they  would 
either  shortly  leave  her  or  would  degenerate. 
To  a  large  extent  a  woman  is  justified  in  taking 
credit  for  the  valuable  service  of  her  servants, 
for  it  is  mainly  due  to  her  own  efficiency.  To 
begin  with,  she  has  chosen  well,  and  this  shows 
knowledge  of  character.  She  must  possess  much 
of  the  latter,  or  she  will  fail  in  governing  her 
servants,  —  for  she  cannot  successfully  pursue 
exactly  the  same  course  with  any  two  girls.  I 
have  had  servants  with  whom  I  could  have  a 
few  pleasant  words,  and  even  make  an  occasional 


92  THE  BIDDY  CLUB. 

jest,  with  no  loss  of  my  authority  or  dignity,  and 
no  possibility  of  their  taking  the  slightest  ad- 
vantage of  my  treatment.  I  have  had  other  ser- 
vants who  could  scarcely  receive  a  pleasant  good- 
morning  from  me  without  straightway  becoming 
familiar.  The  former  class  of  girls  are  sometimes 
best  governed  by  appealing  to  their  sense  of  the 
humorous  ;  with  the  latter  class  a  uniform  dig- 
nity, gravity,  almost  a  severity  of  speech  and 
action  was  necessary.  Some  servants  —  Irish, 
for  instance  —  are  easily  controlled  by  an  appeal 
to  their  goodness  of  heart  ;  others,  merely  by 
relying  on  their  sense  of  right  and  wrong.  But 
it.  would  take  too  much  time  even  to  try  to  set 
forth  the  various  methods,  especially  as  each 
particular  system  involves  many  shades  and 
varieties  necessary  to  suit  different  girls  of  even 
similar  characters.  I  only  cite  these  instances, 
to  prove  that  there  is  much  opportunity  for  the 
study  of  human  nature  in  dealing  with  our  ser- 
vants. I  can  only  make  a  passing  reference  to 
children,  because  they  do  not  properly  enter  our 
discussions  ;  but  we  can  all  see  how  earnestly 
we  should  study  their  characters  and  capacities, 
and  I  think  the  control  of  servants  involves 
similar  principles.  There  are  many  other  points 
upon  which  a  woman  should  exercise  scientific 
knowledge.  One  is  in  the  ordering  of  her 
cooking.       Hamerton,    among    other    authors, 


SCIENTIFIC  HOUSEKEEPING.  93 

discourses  in  a  most  interesting  manner  on  the 
effect  of  a  man's  diet  upon  his  particular  calHng. 
Here  is  a  deep  study  for  a  woman.  She  should 
know  the  needs  of  the  household,  and  regulate 
the  style  of  table  to  these  needs." 

"  I  don't  understand,"  said  a  Silent  One. 

"  If  she  lives  in  a  cold  climate,  and  her  husband's 
business  obliges  him  to  be  out  of  doors  much  of 
the  time,  she  should  provide  him  with  consider- 
able fat  and  carbon  in  his  food,  to  keep  him 
warm.  If  his  occupation  is  sedentary,  if  he  uses 
his  brains  much  more  than  his  muscles,  she 
should  know  that  he  will  be  unable  to  digest 
very  fat  food,  and  that  he  mainly  needs  that 
which  supplies  the  most  nutrition  in  the  smallest 
and  most  easily  digested  quantities  and  forms. 
This  is  sufficient  to  serve  as  an  illustration  ; 
there  are  many  books  published  now  by  able 
writers  on  the  science  of  diet,  and  even  on  sci- 
entific cooking ;  and  if  a  woman  wishes,  she  can 
from  them  learn  the  needs  of  infants,  growing 
children,  the  demands  of  life  in  various  climates, 
at  different  times  of  the  year,  and  in  different 
occupations,  —  in  short,  all  connected  with  this 
subject  which  would  tend  to  the  preservation  of 
the  health,  vigor,  and  happiness  of  her  house- 
hold. Let  me  whisper  to  you,  young  married 
ladies,  that  much  of  your  husband's  amiability 
and  tractability  depends  upon  the  way  you  feed 


94  THE  BIDDY  CLUB. 

him.  There  is  a  world  of  wisdom  in  that  little 
thing  called  '  How  to  Cook  Husbands,'  which 
is  going  the  newspaper  rounds." 

"  My  gracious !  how  I  have  failed  in  my  duty ! " 
exclaimed  the  Sprightly  Lady.  "But  I'll  clap 
Billy  into  the  stewpan  the  moment  I  get  home, 
and  serve  him  up  with  caper-sauce.  I  '11  make 
the  stew,  and  he  'II  furnish  the  capers." 

"  It 's  all  very  funny,"  laughed  Mrs.  Hughes, 
"  but  it 's  serious  too,  —  very  serious.  I  was  think- 
ing the  other  day,  what  a  mercy  it  is  that  God 
sees  not  as  we  see,  otherwise  He  would  be  in  the 
same  danger  of  mistaking  tired  nerves  for  irri- 
tability, and  -dyspepsia  for  ugly  temper.  We 
have  all,  in  our  reading,  run  across  the  grave 
truth  that  much  of  the  intemperance  in  the  land 
is  the  result  of  poor  feeding." 

"For  pity's  sake,  Mrs.  Hughes!"  cried  the 
Frivolous  Lady,  "  don't  make  us  believe  that 
one  shoulders  such  a  terrible  responsibility  when 
she  undertakes  housekeeping,  or  we  '11  all  rush 
to  boarding." 

"  I  never  found  that  I  could  evade  a  duty  by 
running  from  it.  When  I  forsook  my  house- 
keeping and  went  to  boarding,  as  I  have  already 
told  you,  my  duty  followed  me,  and  continually 
stared  me  in  the  face.  It  is  a  terribly  respon- 
sible thing  to  live ;  but  I  don't  think  it  best,  for 
that  reason,  for  us  all  to  rush  to  suicide." 


SCIENTIFIC  HOUSEKEEPING.  95 

"  But  we  will !  we  really  will,  Mrs.  Hughes  ! " 
said  the  Sprightly  Lady.  "  You  see  we  don't 
yet  know  that  there 's  any  responsibility  in- 
volved in  living ;  but  the  moment  we  find  it 
out,  we  shall  feel  more  depressed  than  the  poor 
youth  of  Germany  did  over  '  The  Sorrows  of 
Werther.'  " 

"I  think  the  Sorrows  of  Some  Housekeepers 
would  make  a  still  more  pitiful  volume,  and 
might  result  even  more  disastrously,"  said  Dolly. 

"  Let  us  see  if  they  cannot  be  averted,"  re- 
plied Mrs.  Hughes.  "  We  were  considering  the 
subject  of  scientific  housekeeping.  It  is  a  fa- 
vorite topic  of  mine,  for  I  am  very  fond  of  house- 
keeping conducted  upon  this  plan.  I  think  that 
instead  of  being  narrowing,  as  are  the  poorer 
methods,  it  is  a  very  broadening  and  elevating 
occupation.  I  spoke  of  the  study  of  human 
nature,  and  the  art  of  scientific  cookery.  There 
are  other  points  to  be  thought  of ;  and  foremost 
upon  the  list  stands  economy.  The  attainment 
of  the  best  results  with  the  least  possible  ex- 
penditure is  worthy  of  careful  study,  and  can 
be  accomplished  only  by  such.  Many  women 
economize  by  setting  shabby  tables,  dressing 
meanly,  and  furnishing  their  houses  bleakly ; 
there  is  no  science  in  that.  But  when  you 
see  an  appetizing  tabic,  a  neatly,  attractively- 
clothcd   family,  and   a  prettily-furnished   house, 


96  THE  BIDDY  CLUB. 

and  learn  that  but  comparatively  little  money  is 
expended  upon  it  all,  you  may  be  sure  that  what 
the  mistress  lacks  in  silver  she  more  than  makes 
up  in  brains.  Whether  she  calls  herself  so  or 
not,  the  woman  who  presides  over  that  home  is 
scientific." 

"  I  wish,  Mrs.  Hughes,  you  would  tell  us 
something  about  a  nice  yet  inexpensive  table," 
said  a  Silent  Lady. 

"The  cook-books  have  many  recipes  for  dishes 
that  are  simple  and  still  attractive." 

"  Oh,  I  think  most  of  these  recipes  seem  so 
impracticable  to  beginners  !  " 

"  Yes,  they  do,"  said  Mrs.  Hughes,  "  and 
indeed  many  of  them  really  are  impracticable  ; 
but  with  the  light  of  a  little  experience  one  can 
sift  out  those  that  are  really  of  value.  I  can 
perhaps  give  you  a  few  hints,  and  it  may  be  that 
I  can  even  offer  you  a  few  new  recipes.  I  read 
in  the  London  '  Spectator,'  not  long  ago,  an 
article  on  the  expenses  of  living,  and  chief 
among  those  named  was  the  supply  of  meat 
demanded  by  the  household.  Now,  of  course 
this  meat-bill  will  differ  in  size  in  different  fam- 
ilies. With  us,  although  we  had  four  grown 
people  to  provide  for  (counting  our  servants),  it 
was  always  very  small.  We  rarely  ever  had  meat 
at  breakfast ;  our  first  course  was  fruit  of  some 
kind,  the  next  oatmeal,  cracked  wheat,  or  some- 


SCIENTIFIC  HOUSEKEEPING.  97 

thing  similar,  and  the  last  course  consisted  of 
coffee  and  eggs,  and  potatoes  in  different  forms, 
with  either  toast,  muffins,  biscuit,  or  plain  bread  ; 
occasionally  our  third  course  was  merely  coffee 
and  waffles,  or  nice  batter-cakes  eaten  with 
maple  syrup.  For  dinner,  our  first  course  was 
generally  soup  ;  the  next  was  some  kind  of  meat, 
potatoes,  one  other  vegetable,  and  some  sort  of 
pickles,  spiced  fruit,  or  jelly.  Then  we  often  had 
a  simple  dessert.  We  usually  dined  at  night,  but 
there  were  seasons  when,  for  some  reason,  our 
dinner-hour  was  one  or  two  o'clock.  During 
such  seasons,  for  tea  in  summer  we  had  fruit, 
some  kind  of  bread,  occasionally  a  salad,  and 
cookies  or  some  other  plain  cake.  The  winter 
teas  were  more  difficult  for  me  to  plan,  but  they 
differed  mainly  in  the  meat.  Oysters  formed  a 
very  nice  treat,  but  owing  to  their  expense  an 
occasional  one.  Then  I  sometimes  had  a  rem- 
nant of  beef,  chopped  finely,  seasoned,  and  served 
on  thin  slices  of  toast;  or  a  bit  of  mutton  was 
cut  in  small  thin  slices,  and  stewed  with  a  little 
gravy  made  from  the  water  in  which  it  had  first 
been  boiled,  and  seasoned  with  a  few  capers. 
Near  the  end  of  the  '  Buckeye  Cook-book '  there 
is  a  recipe  for  a  really  nice  dish  called  '  Mother's 
Hash  ; '  it  is  quite  far  removed  from  that  hash 
made  so  famous  by  boarding-house  fare,  and 
although    not    precisely    the    dish    for    tea,   was 


98  THE  BIDDY  CLUB. 

one  we  relished  on  a  cold  winter  night.  That 
portion  of  the  'Buckeye  Cook-book'  called  •'  Frag- 
ments '  contains  many  inexpensive  yet  appetizing 
recipes  by  means  of  which  housekeepers  could 
vary  their  bills  of  fare  to  great  advantage.  I 
mention  the  '  Buckeye '  not  only  because  it  is  so 
good,  but  also  because  it  is  one  which  young 
housekeepers  are  most  apt  to  possess." 

"  You  spoke  of  salads,  Mrs.  Hughes,"  said  the 
Sprightly  Lady,  "  We  are  very  fond  of  those,  and 
I  wish  you  would  please  tell  of  some  that  are 
pretty  and  simple." 

"  I  know  a  few  that  possibly  you  already  have. 
They  are  similar  in  style,  though  different  in 
taste.  One  is  what  I  call  '  Bird's-nest  salad.' 
Boil  hard  seven  eggs  ;  when  cold,  cut  each  in 
halves,  take  out  the  yolks,  mash  these  till  per- 
fectly smooth,  add  one  and  a  half  table-spoon- 
fuls of  either  olive-oil  or  melted  butter,  one  even 
teaspoonful  of  mustard,  a  quarter  of  a  teaspoon- 
ful  of  salt,  mixing  each  ingredient  into  the  eggs 
thoroughly  and  separately  ;  lastly,  add  enough 
vinegar  to  give  a  flavor,  but  still  leave  the  dress- 
ing stiff  enough  to  stand  in  place.  Next,  wash 
and  carefully  look  over  a  head  of  lettuce,  —  I  say 
carefully,  for  otherwise  you  will  be  likely  to  spoil 
your  salad  by  the  addition  of  those  little  green 
bugs  ;  spread  the  lettuce-leaves  over  the  salad 
platter,  always  putting  the  smallest  leaves  around 


SCIENTIFIC  HOUSEKEEPING.  99 

the  edge  for  trimming.  I  cut  or  tear  the  large 
leaves,  and  arrange  so  that  each  half-egg  shall 
rest  upon  a  separate  bit  of  lettuce,  and  can  be 
so  put  upon  the  plate  at  table.  Take  the  emp- 
tied whites  of  the  eggs  and  stand  them  on  the 
leaves  so  they  will  look  like  little  cups.  Cut  off 
their  pointed  ends  so  they  can  stand  more  se- 
curely. I  never  placed  them  in  any  particular 
form,  but  nestled  them  here  and  there  among 
the  lettuce-leaves.  Finally,  fill  them  full  —  heap- 
ing full  —  of  the  salad-dressing.  The  effect  of  the 
whole  dish  is  very  pretty.  Another  somewhat 
similar  salad  is  made  of  medium-sized  cold  boiled 
potatoes.  Place  the  lettuce  on  the  platter  as  be- 
fore, make  the  same  dressing,  but  add  more  vin- 
egar, so  that  it  will  be  softer.  Cut  each  potato 
in  very  thin  slices  ;  place  eight  or  ten  of  these  on 
each  leaf  of  lettuce  and  cover  with  the  dressing. 
Make  a  sort  of  wreath  around  the  edge  of  the 
platter  by  putting  the  chopped  whites  of  the 
eggs  in  the  small  lettuce-leaves.  Cauliflower 
salad  is  also  very  nice  and  very  pretty.  Take 
a  small,  shapely  cauliflower,  and  after  soaking 
it,  head  downward,  in  salt  water  for  about 
two  hours,  to  draw  out  any  bugs,  boil  it  until 
tender  ;  it  must  not  be  soft  enough,  though,  to 
fall  apart.  Place  it  on  a  platter,  the  edge  of 
which  you  trim  with  tiny  lettuce-leaves.  In  the 
cracks  of   the  cauliflower  place  here   an   olive, 


lOO  THE  BIDDY  CLUB. 

there  a  tiny  leaf  of  lettuce,  and  also  here  and 
there  a  few  tiny  bits  of  beets,  cut  in  pretty 
shapes  ;  place  a  few  of  these  last  around  the  edge 
of  the  platter.  Pour  the  salad-dressing  over  the 
whole.  A  very  appetizing  dish  for  lunch  or  tea, 
with  bread  and  butter,  is  meat  salad.  Chop 
fine  a  bit  of  beef,  all  fat  or  gristle  being  taken 
out  before  chopping.  Add  to  this,  one  quarter 
as  much  potato,  half  of  a  small  onion,  and 
considerable  parsley  chopped  fine.  Mix  the 
whole  with  the  salad-dressing.  Trim  the  plat- 
ter's edge  with  lettuce,  or  if  that  is  out  of  sea- 
son, celery-leaves,  or  even  bleached  turnip-tops. 
Mould  the  meat  into  a  nice  shape,  and  cover  it 
with  the  finely-chopped  whites  of  the  eggs.  A 
pretty  addition  is  three  or  five  parsley-leaves 
stuck  into  the  salad  so  that  they  stand  erect 
above  the  whites  of  the  eggs.  This  recipe,  with 
a  trifling  difference,  is  one  I  took  from  Mrs. 
Wright's  '  Perfect  Home.'  Tomato  salad  is  very 
nice  and  pretty.  Take  medium-sized  tomatoes, 
hollow  them  out,  and  fill  with  salad-dressing. 
Cover  the  tops  with  chopped  whites  of  the  eggs, 
and  trim  the  edge  of  platter  as  you  wish." 

"  Do  you  use  the  same  dressing  for  all  sal- 
ads } "  asked  the  Imitation  Millionnaire. 

"  Yes,  because  we  prefer  it ;  but  others  might 
prefer  another.  A  nice  dressing  is  made  of  raw 
yolks  beaten  up  with  olive-oil,  —  a  little  of  the 


SCIENTIFIC  HOUSEKEEPING.  lOI 

latter  being  added  at  a  time  until  the  eggs  be- 
come very  stiff;  then  the  mustard  and  salt  are 
added,  and  finally  the  whole  is  made  as  thin  as 
desired  by  the  addition  of  vinegar.  When  one 
is  in  haste,  the  beating  can  be  done  with  an 
egg-beater.  This  dressing  is  more  expensive,  as 
it  requires  considerable  olive-oil.  I  prefer  the 
other ;  and  aside  from  the  taste,  an  advantage 
to  that  is,  that  the  whites  of  the  eggs  are  all 
ready  to  use  in  various  ways." 

"  We  like  a  great  deal  of  olive-oil ;  we  are  very 
fond  of  rich  food,"  said  the  Millionnaire. 

"  Celery  will  make  a  nice  salad,  Mrs.  Hughes," 
said  the  Sprightly  Lady ;  "  and  it 's  easy  to 
prepare.  You  just  cut  the  nice  part  into  short 
pieces,  put  these  in  the  centre  of  the  platter, 
pour  the  dressing  over  them,  and  trim  the  dish 
as  you  like.  I  should  think  that  some  finely 
chopped  whites  of  eggs  would  be  pretty  to  dress 
the  top  of  this  salad." 

**  Now  we  are  on  the  subject  of  pretty  dishes," 
said  Dolly,  "  I  must  tell  you  of  one  I  saw  lately 
at  a  little  evening  company.  The  pulp  of  some 
oranges  had  been  taken  out,  and  the  skins  were 
filled  with  wine  jelly,  and  on  top  of  it  all  was 
some  whipped  cream.  It  was  a  beautiful  and 
delicious  dish." 

"  What  became  of  the  orange  pulp .'' "  asked 
the  Practical  Person. 


102  THE  BIDDY  CLUB. 

"  Why,  that  could  always  be  utilized,"  said 
Dolly.  "  I  did  n't  inquire,  but  I  noticed  that  we 
had  orange-cake  that  same  evening." 

"  How  interesting  and  instructive  are  the  re- 
sults of  an  observant  mind  !  "  said  the  Sprightly 
Lady. 

"Mrs.  Hughes,"  said  a  Silent  One,  "you 
spoke  of  doing  with  but  little  meat,  and  yet 
you  seem  to  have  had  it  as  often  as  most 
people," 

"We  ate  but  little,  so  a  roast  of  beef  or  leg 
of  mutton  of  four  or  five  pounds  would  last  us 
several  meals.  In  a  measure,  we  made  up  in 
milk  what  we  lacked  in  meat." 

"  So  do  we,"  said  Dolly.  "  Our  milk-bill  is 
double  our  meat-bill." 

"  I  should  think  you  ought  to  keep  a  cow," 
said  the  Sprightly  Lady. 

"  So  we  ought,"  answered  Dolly,  glancing 
furtively  around  toward  the  library  where  sat 
the  scribe.  Then  she  lowered  her  voice,  but 
without  avail,  for  my  ear  was  trained  on  that 
subject,  and  could  detect  the  most  distant  whis- 
per in  which  the  word  "  cow  "  was  mentioned. 

"  My  husband,"  murmured  Dolly,  softly, 
"doesn't  like  cows  very  much.  He  has  had 
some  trying  experiences,  but  I  hope  that  some 
day  we  '11  keep  one  ;  it  would  really  be  economy 
for  us." 


SCIENTIFIC  HOUSEKEEPING.  1 03 

"  Never  !  "  quoth  I,  in  my  retreat.  I  was  quite 
firm  on  that  point ;  for  after  having  been  fre- 
quently hooked,  pushed,  pulled,  drawn,  and  all 
but  quartered  by  a  cow,  I  naturally  evaded  the 
species.  In  an  unhappy  moment,  Dolly's  father 
once  made  her  a  present  of  a  cow  ;  but  after  I 
had  led  a  truly  wretched  life  for  several  months, 
I  told  Dolly  she  must  look  out  for  another  milk- 
man ;  and  later  I  told  the  cow  that,  rude  as  it 
seemed  to  disturb  her  dreams  of  permanency, 
she  must  seek  another  home. 


104  THE  BIDDY  CLUB. 


CHAPTER   VII. 

MONEY   MATTERS. 

"IV/TRS.    HUGHES,"    said    the    Frivolous 

1V±  Young  Lady,  at  the  opening  of  the 
next  Ckib  meeting,  "  are  you  a  supporter  of 
Woman's  Rights  ?  " 

"Oh,  no,"  said  Mrs.  Hughes,  "I  am  ardently 
in  favor  of  Woman's  Wrongs." 

"  Oh,  Mrs.  Hughes,  you  catch  things  up  so 
quickly  that  one  is  fairly  frightened  !  " 

"  If  one  could  only  be  terrified  into  silence  !  "  I 
thought,  in  secret. 

"  Of  course,  I  mean  strong-mindedness,  Mrs. 
Hughes  ;  I  don't  like  to  think  it,  but  it  really 
seems  so.  I  don't  believe  my  husband  vi^ould 
be  willing  to  have  me  come  here  if  he  knew 
that.  I  know  he  'd  leave  me  if  I  thought  as 
you  do.  He  can't  endure  anything  like  strong- 
mindedness  in  a  woman." 

I  made  a  mental  note  at  this  point  to  the 
effect  that  he  certainly  could  find  no  fault  with 
her.  She  was  weak-minded  enough  to  satisfy 
the  smallest  of  men. 


MONEY  MATTERS.  105 

**  Now  that  we  have  touched  upon  this  ques- 
tion," said  Mrs.  Hughes,  "  I  would  like  to  say 
that  it  is  lamentable  that  women  in  general  are 
so  ignorant  of  their  rights." 

She  spoke  in  that  womanly  way  of  hers,  so 
full  of  dignity  and  sweetness  and  so  void  of  any 
frivolity  or  irritation.  It  seemed  to  me  as  if,  in 
the  face  of  such  strength  and  womanhood,  the 
Frivolous  Little  Person  ought  to  have  shrunk 
away  beyond  all  possibility  of  recognition.  I 
have  had  my  laugh  and  my  sneer  too,  perhaps, 
at  Woman's  Rights,  when  it  has  been  voiced 
by  some  noisy,  half-educated  woman;  but  before 
such  an  one  as  Mrs.  Hughes  I  can  only  doff 
my  hat  and  listen.  Unfortunately,  the  Frivolous 
Person  showed  no  inclination  either  to  remove 
her  hat  or  to  pay  attention. 

"  Would  you  vote  }  Oh,  Mrs.  Hughes  !  "  she 
exclaimed  ;  and  then  added  with  polite  after- 
thought, "  Oh,  well,  of  course  I've  no  objection 
if  a  woman  really  wishes  to  wear  pants  and  go 
to  the  polls  ;  but  it 's  queer  taste." 

"  There  are  various  branches  of  Woman's 
Rights,"  replied  Mrs.  Hughes,  with  quiet  cour- 
tesy. "  The  one  that  has  been  especially  in  my 
mind  of  late  is  the  financial.  I  do  most  earn- 
estly wish  women  understood  their  rights  in 
money  matters.  It  would  seem  as  if  a  discus- 
sion of  this  subject  were  alien  to  our  purpose  in 


I06  THE  BIDDY  CLUB. 

meeting,  but  I  cannot  see  how  any  woman  can 
occupy  her  true  position  as  mistress  in  her 
household,  or  regulate  it  properly,  unless  she 
bear  her  legitimate  relation  to  the  family  purse. 
Many  of  the  opposers  of  woman's  voting  are 
loud  in  lauding  her  position  as  queen  of  the 
domestic  hearth.  But  the  truth  is,  that  very 
few  women  are  queens  ;  most  of  them  are  paid 
dependents,  and  poorly  paid  at  that.  Not  long 
ago  I  heard  a  wife  and  mother  say,  in  a  moment 
of  bitterness,  that  housekeeping  was  a  very  poor 
paying  business  ;  there  was  but  little  money  in 
it,  and  less  appreciation,  and  she  thought  women 
had  better  engage  in  something  else.  I  have 
again  and  again  had  women  say  to  me,  with 
regard  to  the  income  received  from  my  paint- 
ing, that  they  envied  me,  they  so  wished  they 
had  some  way  of  earning  money  of  their  own. 
Now,  if  they  had  wished  for  some  way  of  in- 
creasing the  family  income,  I  could  understand 
their  feeling ;  but  I  cannot  understand  why  a 
woman  should  regard  what  is  earned  at  the 
office  or  store  as  belonging  entirely  to  her 
husband." 

"  I  think  she  feels  so,  Mrs,  Hughes,"  said  a 
Silent  Member,  "  because  her  husband  does.  I 
believe  most  men  have  that  feeling." 

"  I  don't  doubt  it ;  and  this  opinion  on  the 
part  of   the  husband   must  influence  the  wife. 


MONEY  MATTERS.  10/ 

It  is  natural  that,  under  such  circumstances,  she 
should  feel  more  or  less  unhappy  over  money 
affairs  ;  but  such  an  error  should  not  really  de- 
ceive her." 

"  But  what  can  a  woman  do  about  it  ? "  asked 
the  Practical  Person. 

"  There  is  a  great  deal  to  be  done.  In  the 
first  place,  as  with  many  other  vexatious  ques- 
tions, the  best  time  for  settlement  is  before 
marriage." 

"  Oh,  Mrs.  Hughes  !  you  believe  in  forcing  a 
man  to  make  a  marriage  settlement !  "  exclaimed 
Mrs.  Frivolity. 

'*  Yes,  I  believe  in  a  written  agreement  of 
some  kind.  I  also  believe  that  before  marriage 
one  should  understand  a  man's  character  as 
thoroughly  as  possible,  and  feel  sure  that  he  will 
not  be  unfaithful  in  any  way,  or  try  to  defraud 
his  wife  of  any  rights.  All  important  questions 
should  be  earnestly  talked  over  before  marriage, 
and  the  temper  of  both  parties  upon  the  various 
subjects  learned.  If  harmony  dees  not  exist 
before  marriage  you  may  be  pretty  certain  it 
will  never  come  after  marriage ;  and  in  such 
a  case,  for  the  happiness  of  both  man  and 
woman,  the  engagement  ought  to  be  ended. 
They  really  have  no  right  to  marry  without 
harmony." 

"  That 's  all  very  well,  Mrs.  Hughes,"  said  the 


I08  THE  BIDDY  CLUB. 

Sprightly  Lady,  "  but  two  or  three  women  in 
this  world  are  already  wedded.  Must  they  for- 
ever despair  of  pin-money  ?  " 

"  I  hope  not,"  said  Mrs.  Hughes.  "If  a  woman 
has  been  so  careless  of  her  own  and  her  hus- 
band's future  as  to  marry  without  talking  all 
these  matters  over  and  coming  to  a  definite  un- 
derstanding, the  next  best  thing  for  her  is  to 
have  a  post-nuptial  conversation.  She  talks  at 
a  great  disadvantage  then,  and  unless  her  hus- 
band possesses  rare  qualities  of  manhood  she 
will  be  made  to  feel  this  disadvantage.  But  I 
believe  that  a  man  must  be  extremely  small  who 
will  not,  sooner  or  later,  see  the  truth  that  lies  in 
this  matter,  if  his  wife  presents  it  to  him  prop- 
erly. I  would  not  for  the  world  have  her  com- 
plain or  whine  or  scold  about  it ;  but  she  should, 
I  think,  in  a  quiet,  womanly  way,  show  him  the 
injustice  he  is  doing  her  in  compelling  her  to 
ask  him,  from  day  to  day,  for  fifty  cents  or  a 
dollar  or  two,  and  show  him  how  this  latter 
course  humihates  her.  Let  her  tell  him  that 
when  she  married  she  understood  that  she  and 
he  were  to  form  a  firm  in  which  each  was  equal 
partner.  The  old  marriage  service  says,  '  With 
all  my  worldly  goods  I  thee  endow  ; '  few  women 
ask  for  more  than  half.  Some  men  claim  that 
in  any  ordinary  partnership  both  partners  do 
equal  work ;  but  that  is  not  quite  true.     I  have 


MONEY  MATTERS.  1 09 

known  of  many  partnerships  in  which  the  actual 
physical  and  even  mental  labor  was  very  un- 
equally divided,  although  the  division  of  the 
income  had  to  be  exact.  One  partner  perhaps 
possessed  an  amount  of  influence  which  was 
thought  to  compensate  for  his  lack  of  actual 
work,  and  so  on. 

"  Now,  there  is  no  sum  large  enough  to  hire 
any  one  to  fulfil  the  duties  of  a  true  wife,  much 
less  those  of  a  true  mother.  I  care  not  how 
many  servants  a  woman  may  keep,  or  how  com- 
paratively easy  her  life  may  seem,  the  actual 
physical  labor  is  the  least  part  of  it,  —  that  can 
be  hired,  and  without  very  great  expense;  but  the 
love,  the  tenderness,  the  solicitude,  the  watchful- 
ness, the  brain-work,  the  companionship,  the  edu- 
cation,—  all  that  goes  to  make  up  true  wifehood, 
true  motherhood,  —  no  money  on  earth  can  hire. 
Now,  does  it  not  stand  to  reason  that  in  simple 
justice  all  this  should  have  a  pecuniary  value, 
as  well  as  a  value  which  money  is  not  sufficient 
to  recognize  properly  ?  Let  a  woman,  then,  with 
the  dignity  which  grows  out  of  conscious  right, 
claim  her  half  of  the  family  income.  A  man 
may  deny  this  claim,  but  in  such  a  case  the 
wife  should,  I  think,  assert  her  right,  and  tell 
him  that  this  right  remains,  even  though  he 
refuse  to  recognize  it ;  tell  him  that  he  may 
withhold  her  just  share,  as  he  might  possibly 

LONG  BEACH  LEAGUE 
FOR  THE  HARD  OF  HEARING 


no  THE  BIDDY  CLUB. 

succeed  in  evading  the  law  and  withholding  the 
property  of  a  ward,  but  that  by  so  doing  he  is 
committing  a  great  fraud,  a  sin  against  his  wife 
and  himself.  It  is  a  disgrace  to  our  land  of 
freedom  and  justice,  that  the  law  has  not  already 
taken  this  matter  in  hand.  The  money  power 
is  one  which  men  of  contemptible  character, 
and  also  those  of  better  character,  in  small  and 
unworthy  mood,  hold  over  their  wives  ;  and  since 
their  manhood  is  not  sufficient,  the  law  should 
restrain  them.  The  law  recognizes  a  woman's 
right  in  the  property  if  her  husband  attempts 
to  sell  it ;  and  I  hope  to  live  to  see  the  day  when 
it  will  also  recognize  her  right  to  the  income 
from  this  property,  and  also  from  the  office  or 
store,  A  short  time  ago  I  took  up  an  old  maga- 
zine and  read  an  article  in  which  Dr.  Holland 
discoursed  very  beautifully  upon  the  sweetness 
of  that  ownership  of  the  woman  by  the  man  in 
marriage.  There  is  much  sentiment  in  such  a 
theory,  much  tenderness  ;  but  that  should  not 
blind  us  to  the  fact  that  it  is  none  the  less 
a  relic  of  the  barbarism  that  governed  the  rela- 
tionship of  man  and  woman  ages  ago,  and  that 
it  has  been  the  cause  of  great  injustice  and  con- 
sequent unhappiness." 

"  Don't  you  think,  Mrs.  Hughes,"  said  a 
Silent  Member,  "  that  men  would  give  more  to 
their  wives  if  they  had  it .-'     It  seems  to  me  that 


MONE  Y  MA  TTERS.  1 1 1 

most  of  them  are  inclined  to  be  very  generous 
when  they  are  able." 

"  I  don't  deny  that,  but  I  object  to  that  word 
*  giving.'  The  money  should  be  handed  the  wife 
as  her  right,  her  property,  not  as  a  gift.  This 
would  remove  the  sense  of  obligation  under  which 
so  many  men  really  expect  their  wives  to  live,  for 
so-called  generosity  on  their  husband's  part." 

"  I  don't  think  my  husband  ever  really  saw 
this  matter  in  its  true  light,"  said  another  of  the 
Silent  Members,  "  until  two  years  ago.  At  that 
time  he  formed  a  partnership  with  an  elderly 
gentleman  who,  because  of  his  superior  years, 
experience,  and  ability  in  that  direction,  took 
into  his  charge  the  financial  branch  of  the  busi- 
ness. In  consequence  of  this  arrangement,  to 
which  my  husband  had  given  his  consent,  he 
was  forced  to  ask  his  partner  for  whatever 
money  he  wished  to  draw ;  and  he  grew  more 
and  more  irritated  and  nettled  under  this  condi- 
tion of  affairs,  until  finally  he  said  he  could  stand 
it  no  longer,  and  had  it  changed.  I  did  not  fail 
to  draw  his  attention  to  the  analogy  which  ex- 
isted between  his  position  at  the  office  and  my 
position  at  home.  I  told  him  that  although  men 
supposed  that  women  were  made  of  something 
besides  flesh  and  blood  like  themselves,  and 
were  not  wearied  or  rendered  nervous  by  crying 
children,  or  nettled   and   humiliated    by  mone- 


112  THE  BIDDY  CLUB. 

tary  dependence,  yet  the  reverse  was  the  case. 
There  were  many  minor  circumstances  attend- 
ing that  partnership  which  greatly  benefited  me 
at  home,  by  presenting  my  cause  in  a  more  vivid 
light  than  I  could  otherwise  have  done.  For 
instance,  my  husband  would  tell  me  of  certain 
improvements  he  had  effected  at  the  office  in 
the  service  there,  or  perhaps  the  furnishing,  and 
say  how  opposed  his  partner  was  upon  first  men- 
tion of  it,  but  after  it  had  been  quietly  effected, 
how  rarely  he  raised  any  objection,  —  indeed, 
how  he  sometimes  quite  rejoiced  in  it,  and  even 
on  occasions  plumed  himself,  taking  the  credit 
thereof.  All  this,  I  assured  my  husband,  was 
but  a  repetition  of  my  home  experience.  I  used 
to  insist  that  at  the  office  he  was  the  wife,  and 
would  often  inquire  after  the  health  of  his  hus- 
band. He  never  had  much  to  say  at  the  time, 
but  later  I  learned  how  he  had  thought  the  mat- 
ter over,  for  he  made  an  entire  change  in  the 
management  of  the  money  matters  both  at  the 
office  and  at  home,  and  we  have  both  been  much 
happier  ever  since." 

"  If  there  is  any  part  of  this  arrangement  of 
which  you  would  not  mind  speaking  to  others,  I 
think  it  would  help  us  very  much,"  said  Mrs. 
Hughes. 

"  Why,  I  had  just  as  lief  tell  it  all,"  said  the 
Silent   Lady,  who  had  a  slow,  somewhat  hesi- 


MONEY  MATTERS.  II3 

tating   and    timid   manner.     "  We  looked  over 
our  accounts,  and  decided  just  about  what  we 
needed    each    month    for    our   living   expenses. 
Then  we  divided   these  expenses  ;  my  husband 
took  upon  himself  the  ordering  of  fuel,  the  pay- 
ment of  rent,  and  other  bills  that  seemed  of  an 
outside  nature  ;  while  I  took  charge  of  all  inter- 
nal expenses,  —  servant-hire,  grocery  and  meat 
bills,  clothing  for  myself  and  children.     There 
was  provision   made  for   sundries,   and   of  this 
money  I   had  much   the  larger  share,   because 
mine  was  to  answer  for  the  incidental  expenses 
of  the  household  as  well  as  myself  and  children. 
The  first  of  each   month  the  money  from  the 
office  was  put  in  bank  ;  the  portion  that  we  had 
agreed  upon  for  my  share  was  in  my  name,  and 
my  husband's  was  in  his.     Any  money  that  was 
received  at  the  office  in  addition   to  this   was 
equally  divided  between   us  and  placed  to  the 
credit  of  each,  to  spend  or  lay  up  as  was  thought 
best." 

"  I  should  think  you  might  as  well  have  been 
divided  yourselves,"  said  the  Frivolous  Person. 

A  hot  flush  and  look  of  contempt  flashed  into 
the  face  of  the  Silent  Member.  Perhaps  Mrs. 
Hughes  feared  an  explosion  of  some  kind,  for 
she  quickly  said,  — 

"  Oh,  no,  I  don't  think  that  follows  ;  but,  on 
the  contrary,  a  much  closer  companionship  be- 

8 


114  THE  BIDDY  CLUB. 

tween  husband  and  wife.  It  seems  to  me  that 
without  some  such  arrangement  no  woman  of 
any  force  or  elevation  of  character  could  rest 
content.  She  would  always,  I  think,  harbor  a 
sense  of  injustice,  and  be  unable,  even  if  his 
conduct  in  other  regards  were  commendable,  to 
give  to  her  husband  entire  respect  and  love. 
But  this  source  of  irritation  and  resentment 
being  removed,  if  other  conditions  are  right, 
there  may  —  as  most  of  us,  I  hope,  know  by 
happy  experience  —  exist  the  most  perfect  con- 
fidence and  companionship.  In  our  money 
affairs  my  husband  and  myself  are  entirely  sepa- 
rate, and  at  the  same  time  entirely  united." 

"  That  sounds  like  a  fib,"  said  the  Sprightly 
Lady,  "but  it's  built  upon  a  deep  underlying 
truth  ;  I  'm  sure  of  it,  if  you  say  so,  Mrs. 
Hughes." 

Mrs.  Hughes  laughed.  She  was  never  of- 
fended,—  indeed,  few  could  be  by  the  Sprightly 
One's  mirth. 

"  Yes,  it  really  is,"  she  answered.  "  We  are 
separate,  as  far  as  the  right  to  interfere  with 
each  other  is  concerned ;  we  are  united,  in  that 
neither  Mr.  Hughes  nor  myself  has  ever  made 
an  investment  or  an  expenditure  of  any  impor- 
tance without  consultation.  If  we  happened 
to  be  removed  by  distance  at  the  time,  we  con- 
sulted by  letter  or  telegram." 


MONEY  MATTERS.  I15 

"After  such  an  education  in  money  matters, 
Mrs.  Hughes,  you  would  not  be  left  in  that  help- 
less condition  that  so  many  women  are  when 
suddenly  called  to  take  charge  of  their  husbands' 
affairs,"  said  the  Practical  Person. 

Mrs.  Hughes's  face  changed.  I  had  once  seen 
a  look  of  intense  motherhood  illuminate  it ; 
now  it  was  as  though  it  were  filled  with  wife- 
hood, — •  bereaved  wifehood.  It  was  a  moment 
before  she  spoke ;  then  she  said  slowly,  and  with 
some  effort,  "  No,  I  should  not  be  helpless  in 
that  respect." 

Perhaps  to  relieve  her  for  a  moment,  one  of 
tlie  Silent  Members  said  :  — 

"My  husband  and  I  have  a  similar  arrangement 
ill  money  matters.  Unfortunately,  however,  we 
are  not  ahead,  so  there  is  some  difference.  A  few 
years  ago  we  mismanaged  dreadfully,  as  we  can 
see  now  in  looking  back,  and  we  have  been  behind- 
hand ever  since.  This  spring  we  came  to  the 
conclusion  that  we  were  not  paying  off  our  debts 
fast  enough,  and  that  although  we  kept  accounts, 
the  family  expenses  were  running  up  higher  than 
they  ought  to  ;  so  after  much  figuring  we  de- 
cided on  the  sum  necessary  for  each  month,  and 
agreed  to  limit  ourselves  to  this,  foregoing  every 
extra.  Out  of  this  amount  a  small  sum  was 
reserved  for  incidental  private  expenses.  My 
husband  takes  his  each  month,  and  all  the  rest  of 


Il6  THE  BIDDY  CLUB. 

the  money  we  have  to  spend  is  put  in  the  bank 
in  my  name.  I  pay  every  bill  connected  with 
the  household,  —  in  fact,  manage  all  expenses.  I 
have  my  check-book  and  bank-book,  and  I  keep 
the  strictest  accounts,  balancing  the  first  of  each 
month.  My  husband  works  very  hard,  and  his 
business  is  so  engrossing  that  he  has  very  little 
time  outside  of  his  store.  I  dislike  to  have  any 
part  of  this  time  taken  for  errands,  and  still 
more  to  add  to  his  already  heavily-taxed  mind 
the  care  of  remembering  such  errands ;  so,  as 
I  could  very  well  attend  to  these  matters,  and 
especially  as  attending  to  them  would  give  me 
a  feeling  of  independence  and  a  most  useful 
knowledge,  I  proposed  to  undertake  it,  and  he 
was  glad  enough  to  be  relieved." 

"There  are  many  ways  of  regulating  this 
matter,"  said  Mrs.  Hughes  ;  "  but  the  result  is 
much  the  same,  if  that  one  main  idea  is  kept  in 
mind,  that  the  money  belongs  to  the  wife  just  as 
much  as  to  the  husband,  not  by  courtesy,  not  by 
gift,  but  by  right  of  her  having  earned  it." 

"  I  think,"  said  Dolly,  "  the  hardest  famihes 
to  arrange  this  matter  in  are  those  where  they 
are  not  ahead,  and  perhaps  are  a  little  in  debt, 
and  where  they  never  know  what  to  count  on,  — 
the  income  varying  so  that  they  can  only  plan 
and  spend  as  the  money  actually  comes  into 
their  hands," 


MONE  Y  MA  TTERS.  1 1 7 

"  Yes,    there   are   many    in    that    lamentable 
state,"  said  Mrs.  Hughes,  "  where  the  necessarily 
uncomfortable  position  of  the  wife  is  aggravated 
by  the  lack  of  recognition  of  her  rights.     Such 
a  lady  was  talking  to  me  on  this  subject  lately. 
She  said,  '  My  husband  is  extremely  economical. 
He    really  spends    very   little   on    himself,   but 
whenever  he  does  spend  he  has  only  to  take  the 
money  from  his  pocket  without  asking  any  one  ; 
but  I  often  suffer  for  the  want  of  a  dollar  when 
I  know  I  could  have  it,  because  I  can't  bear  to 
go  and   ask   for  it.'     I   don't  know  what  men 
think  of  such  things,  but  to  me  they  seem  shame- 
fully unjust.     In  the  case  I  have  mentioned,  as 
in  most  families  where  the  means  are  limited, 
the  wife  is  more  than  earning  her  share.     She 
is  not  only  trying  to  perform  her  duties  as  wife 
and  mother,  but  she  is  also  taking  upon  herself 
the  duties  of  servant  besides.     Her  life  is  neces- 
sarily a  very  hard  one,  and  certainly  should  not 
lack  the  comfort  which  a  recognition  of  her  com- 
monest rights  would  give." 

"  Oh,  Mrs.  Hughes,  it  seems  to  me  you  're 
making  much  ado  about  nothing!  I'm  thank- 
ful we  don't  have  any  such  system  in  our 
household  —  accounts,  and  all  that.  Why,  it 
would  drive  me  wild  !  "  said  the  Frivolous  Per- 
son. "  When  I  want  money,"  she  continued,  "  I 
say  so  ;  and  as  I  don't  have  to  earn  it,  all  I  get 


Il8  THE  BIDDY  CLUB. 

is  just  so  much  gain.  I  have  credit  at  some  of 
the  largest  stores,  too.  My  husband  makes  a 
terrible  fuss  over  the  bills  sometimes  ;  but  then 
I  cry  a  little,  and  we  make  up,  —  tears  will  cover 
a  multitude  of  sins,  you  know  ;  "  and  she  laughed 
gayly  at  her  own  naiveti  and  adroitness. 

I  really  felt  relieved  when  Dolly  followed  up 
this  folly  by  saying,  — 

"  Don't  you  think,  Mrs.  Hughes,  that  women 
themselves  are  mainly  answerable  for  their 
wrongs  ? " 

"  In  most  cases  I  do.  I  earnestly  believe  that 
when  women  entertain  a  more  dignified  and  en- 
lightened view  of  their  rights  and  position,  the 
greater  part  of  these  wrongs  will  melt  away." 

"  How  noble  it  would  be  for  the  men  to 
step  forward  gratuitously,  and  do  the  hand- 
some thing  by  us ! "  said  the  Sprightly  Lady. 
"  But  we  must  n't  look  for  masculine  angels, 
I  suppose." 

"  I  don't  know  about  that,"  said  Dolly ;  "  mas- 
culine angels  are  the  only  kind  on  record,  I 
believe." 

"  Yes,  but  they  were  all  busy  with  affairs 
celestial.  I  never  heard  of  one's  coming  to  this 
wicked  world  for  more  than  a  very  brief  call," 
the  Sprightly  Lady  insisted. 

Mrs.  Hughes  smiled. 

"  I  would  n't   advise   any   one   to  wait   for  a 


MONE  Y  MA  TTERS.  1 1 9 

gratuitous  settlement,"  she  said.  "  I  think  the 
safer  way  is  for  every  woman  to  give  this  sub- 
ject careful  thought,  and  then  to  take  such  steps 
as  she  decides  her  individual  case  demands.  I 
really  think  that  most  men  —  all,  I  am  sure, 
who  have  any  manliness  and  sense  of  honor  — 
will  remedy  these  evils  when  their  attention  is 
really  called  to  them.  There  are  men  who  are 
incurably  mean  and  dishonorable  in  this  regard. 
Only  lately  my  husband  was  talking  to  some 
one,  and  telling  him  of  the  arrangements  we 
had  made  with  respect  to  money  matters  ;  and 
this  was  his  reply  :  '  I  would  n't  give  my  wife 
so  much  rope  for  a  good  deal.'  Had  any  one 
told  this  man  that  it  was  not  a  case  of  giving, 
but  merely  a  question  as  to  whether  or  not  he 
would  defraud  his  wife  of  her  lawful  share  of  the 
family  earnings,  he  might  have  been  shocked. 
But  I  think,  as  has  been  suggested,  that  more 
frequently  the  blame  lies  mainly  with  the  wife. 
We  have  all  of  us  heard  women  jest  about  rifling 
their  husbands'  pockets,  and  laughingly  tell  how 
they  made  a  dollar  or  two  out  of  them  on  some 
occasion  ;  we  have  heard  women  tell  how  much 
they  manage  to  save  for  themselves  out  of  the 
allowance  paid  them  by  their  husbands  for 
household  purposes.  All  I  have  to  say  is, 
that  if  women  choose  to  accept,  in  their  own 
houses,    the   position    of    a    hired   housekeeper. 


I20  THE  BIDDY  CLUB. 

they  must  never  complain  at  the  results  of 
such  acceptance." 

"  I  think  the  position  is  even  inferior  to  that 
of  a  housekeeper,  Mrs.  Hughes,"  said  Dolly, 
"  for  all  hired  housekeepers  receive  a  salary, 
and  have  it  paid  at  stated  times  ;  whereas 
many  wives  have  to  ask  for  a  little  money 
every  now  and  then,  and  receive  it  as  a  sort 
of  gift." 

"Yes,  that  is  true,"  said  Mrs.  Hughes,  "or 
else  steal  it  out  of  their  husbands'  pockets,  or 
out  of  the  money  allowed  them  for  the  expenses 
of  the  household." 

"  Steal  it  ! "  said  the  Frivolous  One,  tossing 
her  head.  "  I  must  sa}^,  Mrs.  Hughes,  you  use 
strong  language." 

"There  can  be  no  half-way  opinion  in  this 
matter ;  either  a  woman  regards  the  money 
earned  at  office  or  store  as  belonging  to  herself 
as  much  as  to  her  husband,  or  else  she  regards 
it  as  entirely  his.  If  the  latter  case  were  true, 
she  would  have  no  right  to  a  dollar  without  his 
consent,  and  whatever  she  took  in  any  other 
way  would  be  stolen.  So  all  women  who  hold 
the  latter  view  —  as  those  must  who  talk  about 
making  any  sum  out  of  their  husbands  —  must 
debase  their  consciences  when  they  take  money 
unknown  to  him  who,  in  their  eyes,  is  the  lawful 
owner  of  such  money." 


MONE  Y  MA  TTERS.  1 2 1 

"  This  is  laying  on  color  with  startling  liber- 
ality," sighed  the  Sprightly  Lady.  "  Some  of 
us  will  have  to  turn  Catholic  forthwith  and  bor- 
row five  cents  of  our  husbands  to  buy  an  indul- 
gence from  the  Pope." 

"  Supposing  a  woman  earns  money  outside 
of  her  household,"  said  the  Practical  Person, 
"  do  you  think  she  ought  to  share  it  with  her 
husband  .-'  " 

"  Certainly,"  said  Mrs.  Hughes.  "  As  I  said 
before,  I  regard  husband  and  wife  as  two  mem- 
bers of  a  firm,  the  time  and  abilities  of  each 
belonging  to  that  firm.  We  know  that  the  em- 
ployment, by  one  of  a  firm,  of  his  time  and 
capacity  for  the  making  of  money  which  he  fails 
to  divide,  has  been  justly  regarded  as  dishonest. 
I  lately  saw  in  the  'Nation'  what  I  thought  a  very 
proper  complaint,  —  that  the  law  in  a  certain 
State  had  exceeded  the  limits  of  justice,  in  ex- 
empting the  property  of  a  married  woman  from 
liability  for  ordinary  household  debts,  or  even  for 
her  own  maintenance.  Again,  the  law  is  such 
that  if  a  man  proves  vicious  or  worthless,  and 
repudiates  all  debts,  even  though  his  wife  may 
have  money  in  her  hands,  she  cannot  be  held 
responsible  for  them,  —  not  even  for  such  as  per- 
tain to  the  family  living.  Of  course  we  can  all 
see  the  intended  beneficence  of  these  laws  ;  for 
in  many  cases,  where  the  husband  dies  or  proves 


122  THE  BIDDY  CLUB. 

worthless,  the  wife  is  left  in  a  most  helpless  con- 
dition, and  whatever  money  she  may  be  able  to 
realize  from  the  sale  of  her  furniture,  or  from 
any  other  source,  is  rarely  sufficient  to  supply 
her  own    and   her   children's   daily  wants.      A 
change  in  this  particular  law  affecting  a  woman's 
relationship  to  the  family  debts  would  involve 
cruel  suffering,  and  well-nigh  as  great  injustice 
as  the  holding  of  a  housekeeper  responsible  for 
such  debts,  unless  there  were  also  laws  properly 
affecting   a  woman's  relationship  to  the  family 
means.     When  good  laws  on  the  latter  point  are 
enacted,  and  the  monetary  relationship  between 
husband  and  wife  becomes  what  it  should  be, 
it  seems  to  me  that  the  law  would  be  perfectly 
just  in  holding  the  wife  responsible  for  the  fam- 
ily debts  equally  with  the  husband.     She  should 
know  the  strength  and  weakness  of  her  income, 
and  not  incur  more  than  she  could  meet,  except- 
ing, of  course,  in  cases  of  actual  destitution.     I 
believe  either  a  man  or  a  woman  is  held  guiltless 
for  going  beyond  their  means,  to  prevent  physical 
suffering.      In  connection  with   this  subject,   I 
would  like  to  say  that  it  has  always  seemed  to  me 
that,  in  cases  where  the  wife  has  held  her  lawful 
position  with  regard  to  money  matters,  and  has 
means,  either  from  life  insurance  or  any  other 
source,  to  pay  the  family  debts,  she  would  be 
most  dishonorable  to  repudiate  them." 


MONEY  MATTERS.  1 23 

"  Oh,  dear  me  !  "  sighed  the  Frivolous  Young 
Person.     "All  this  makes  my  brains  whirl !  " 

I  bent  forward  here  with  a  longing  to  suggest 
to  her  that  she  mistook  the  rush  of  air  in  a  cav- 
ity for  the  whirling  of  brains, 

"  Do  you  think,  Mrs.  Hughes,"  continued  the 
Frivolous  One,  "  that  men  and  women  are 
equal  .''  " 

Mrs.  Hughes  smiled. 

"  I  am  rather  inclined  to  that  opinion,"  she 
said,  "  though  when  I  see  some  small,  narrow 
men,  and  some  noble  women,  my  belief  is  a  trifle 
shaken.  We  must  not,  however,  dwell  upon  such 
points.  We  have  to-day  taken  up  some  appar- 
ently irrelevant  subjects,  but  they  have  seemed 
to  me  closely  connected  with  our  legitimate 
theme,  —  the  management  of  servants.  It  is 
impossible  to  discuss  that  subject  broadly  and 
thoroughly  without  touching  upon  several  others, 
just  as  it  is  impossible  fully  to  discuss  the 
troubles  of  the  stomach  without  treating  at 
some  length  those  of  the  liver,  the  heart,  and 
several  other  organs.  But  one  thing  is  quite 
certain,"  Mrs.  Hughes  added,  rising  rather  ab- 
ruptly, after  a  glance  at  her  watch,  "we  shall 
have  to  postpone  not  only  kindred  topics,  but 
servant-girls  themselves,  until  another  meeting, 
for  we  have,  I  see,  exceeded  our  time." 

"  Yes,"    said    the    Sprightly    One,    "  I    must 


124  THE  BIDDY  CLUB. 

hasten  away.  What  you  said  about  half  of  a 
married  woman's  earnings  belonging  to  her  hus- 
band is  pricking  me  terribly.  I  confess  to  hav- 
ing been  scandalously  corrupt.  Week  before 
last  I  made  a  nickel  off  the  rag-man,  and  I  did  n't 
give  Billy  his  two  and  a  half  cents.  I  must  run 
home  and  divvy  up  ere  I  place  my  dishonest 
head  upon  a  pillow." 


THE  SERVANTS'    SIDE.  125 


CHAPTER   VIII. 


THE    servants'    SIDE. 


"  T  T  occurred  to  me  the  other  day,"  said  Mrs. 

JL  Hughes,  when  the  ladies  were  once  more 
assembled,  "  that  we  had  done  a  great  deal  of 
talking  on  our  side,  and  but  little  on  the  ser- 
vants', —  I  mean  with  regard  to  their  lawful 
privileges." 

"  I  think  they  have  too  many  privileges  now," 
observed  the  Imitation  Millionnaire. 

"  I  should  say  they  had  !  "  exclaimed  the  Friv- 
olous Lady.  "  For  my  part,  I  scarcely  dare  say 
my  soul 's  my  own,  to  my  cook." 

"  They  have  both  too  many  and  too  few  privi- 
leges, it  seems  to  me,"  said  Mrs.  Hughes.  "  In 
some  families  they  are  allowed  to  be  too  familiar, 
and  take  undue  liberties,  while  at  the  same  time 
their  lawful  rights  are  disregarded.  I  believe  in 
granting  them  every  possible  privilege  that  does 
not  interfere  with  the  proper  performance  of 
their  work,  or  with  a  proper  conception  of  their 
position." 

"  I   agree    with   you  there,"  said  Dolly.     "  I 


126  THE  BIDDY  CLUB. 

think  their  work  is  very  disagreeable  and  hard, 
and  they  need  every  possible  comfort." 

"Oh,  they  don't  regard  their  work  as  we 
would,"  said  the  Practical  Lady  ;  "  they  are 
much  stronger  than  we  are,  and  they  are  used 
to  it,  too." 

"  I  think  we  are  too  apt  to  ease  our  consciences 
with  that  thought,"  persisted  Dolly.    "  I  know  I 
used  to ;  but  last  fall  one  of  my  servants  taught 
me  a  lesson.     She  had  lived  with   me  several 
months,  and   I   liked  her  very  much.     After  a 
while,  however,  I  noticed  that  she  was  growing 
dull  and  hstless,  and  did  not  seem  to  take  much 
pains  with  her  work.     All  at  once  she  told  me 
that  she  must  leave,  to  attend  her  sister's  wed- 
ding ;  and  she  added  that  when  she  came  back  to 
the  city  she  and  this  sister  were  going  to  dress- 
making.   I  talked  with  her  awhile,  and  after  ask- 
ing  a  number  of  questions,  I  found  that  they  had 
no  definite  arrangements  made,  no  promise    of 
work,  but  had  decided,  at  random,  as  it  were,  to 
make  dresses  for  a  living.     I  told  her  that  she 
could  not  earn  as  much  as  by  doing  housework, 
and  that  the  work  would  be  much  less  healthful ; 
that  in  order  to  earn  her  board,  lodging,   and 
even  less  than  her  wages  came  to  weekly  right 
through  the  year,  she  would  have  to  sew  very 
hard.      But  what  I  said  didn't    seem  to   make 
much  impression  on  her  ;  and  at  last,  attracted 


THE  SERVANTS'   SIDE.  1 27 

by  her  manner,  I  said,  '  Mary,  you  are  tired  of 
housework.'  I  never  shall  forget  the  weary  way 
in  which  she  looked  at  me  as  she  turned  and 
said,  '  Oh,  I  am  so  tired  of  it ! '  I  felt  very 
badly,  for  I  wanted  my  servants  to  be  happy, 
and  to  have  as  comfortable  a  life  as  possible.  I 
asked  her  if  there  was  any  one  particular  thing 
more  than  another  in  her  work  that  seemed 
hard.  I  hoped  I  could  discover  some  especial 
evil  and  remedy  it ;  but  she  did  not  particular- 
ize. I  encouraged  her  to  talk  freely  with  me, 
for  I  wanted  to  learn  from  her  ;  and  she  went 
on  to  say  that  it  seemed  to  her  as  if  her  days 
were  made  up  of  a  ceaseless  round  of  dish-wash- 
ing, scrubbing,  dusting,  sweeping,  and  cooking, 
not  to  mention  the  washing  and  ironing.  There 
was  no  end  to  the  work,  and  not  much  escape 
from  it.  If  she  went  out  any  afternoon  she  had 
first  to  wash  the  dishes,  and  then  hurry  back  to 
prepare  a  meal.  She  said  she  had  been  doing 
housework  for  several  years,  and  she  always 
noticed  that  after  a  girl  had  kept  at  it  long  she 
broke  down,  and  then  she  was  of  no  use  to  her- 
self or  any  one  else.  I  saw  that  it  would  be 
out  of  my  power  to  enhearten  her  by  talking, 
so  I  decided  that  the  best  thing  for  her  to  do 
was  to  try  a  change.  I  told  her  that  she  might 
think  best  to  return  to  housework  after  she  had 
rested  awhile.     Sure  enough  she  did,  after  she 


128  THE  BIDDY  CLUB. 

had  been  gone  two  months  and  had  tried  various 
kinds  of  work.  She  heard  I  was  going  to  dis- 
miss the  servant  I  had  engaged  in  her  place,  and 
she  came  to  see  if  I  would  take  her  back  again. 
I  gladly  did,  for  she  was  a  good  girl,  and  I  told 
her  very  frankly  that  I  had  never  forgotten  her 
talk  with  me,  and  that  it  had  led  me  to  make 
some  important  changes  in  my  work,  so  that  I 
felt  I  could  offer  a  girl  a  better  place  than  I  had 
heretofore  had  for  her." 

"  What  changes  did  you  make .-'  "  asked  the 
Sprightly  Lady.  "  I  shall  immediately  '  rener- 
gade'  my  household,  as  Mrs.  Partington  would 
say." 

"  For  one  thing,  I  tried  to  show  her  how,  by 
the  use  of  energy  and  system,  she  could  accom- 
plish her  work  in  less  time,  and  I  let  her  see  she 
would  be  the  gainer  by  this.  I  made  every  effort 
to  secure  her  evenings  for  her,  and  then  —  " 

"  Excuse  me  for  interrupting  you,"  said  Mrs. 
Hughes,  "  but  I  do  wish  you  would  dwell  on 
that  point  at  greater  length.  I  so  often  feel 
indignant  at  the  great  indifference  so  many 
mistresses  seem  to  feel  about  their  servants' 
evenings." 

"  It  is  n't  always  possible  to  give  them  their 
evenings,"  said  the  Practical  Person. 

"  No,  not  always  ;  there  will  come  times,  of 
course,  when  we  must  have  their  services  then, 


THE  SERVANTS'   SIDE.  1 29 

but  when  their  work  is  so  arranged  —  or  I  could 
better  say  disarranged  —  as  to  demand  almost 
every  evening,  I  think  injustice  is  done  them 
if  they  are  not  warned  of  this  in  their  engage- 
ment, —  and  more  than  that,  if  they  are  not 
paid  for  night  work.  I  think  there  are  very 
few  clerks  so  employed  who  are  not  paid  accord- 
ingly ;  and  a  servant  should  be." 

"  I  suppose,  then,  Mrs.  Hughes,"  laughed  the 
Practical  Person,  "  if  you  called  on  a  servant 
to  pass  water  in  the  evening,  you  would  raise 
her  wages." 

"  Certainly,"  said  the  Sprightly  Lady ;  "  a 
nickel  a  drink  !  " 

Mrs.  Hughes  laughed,  but  she  was  not  to  be 
shaken, 

"  No,"  she  said,  "  I  was  not  referring  to  any 
such  trifling  service  as  the  answering  of  a  door- 
bell or  bringing  a  glass  of  water,  —  though  I  can 
say  this,  that  at  my  house  we  call  on  the  ser- 
vants as  little  as  possible  in  the  evening ;  but 
there  are  many  families  where  the  dinner-hour 
is  such  that  the  cook  could  not  possibly  clear 
away  everything  before  nine  o'clock.  In  other 
households  the  hour  set  for  dinner  is  reasonable 
enough,  —  six,  it  maybe,  —  but  the  gentleman  of 
the  house  is  so  irregular  that  though  the  ser- 
vant occasionally  has  her  evenings,  generally  she 
does  not." 

9 


I30  THE  BIDDY  CLUB. 

"But,  Mrs.  Hughes,"  objected  a  Silent  Mem- 
ber, "  supposing  a  man's  business  is  such  that 
he  cannot  come  promptly  to  his  meals  ;  we  know 
that  doctors  can't  keep  regular  hours." 

"  I  think  that  such  people  ought  to  pay  an 
extra  price  to  their  servants,  or  else  offer  extra 
daytime  privileges  to  compensate  them  for  the 
loss  of  their  evenings." 

"  I  suppose,  Mrs.  Hughes,  you  think  people 
ought  to  take  dinner  in  the  middle  of  the  day, 
but  we  prefer  to  dine  at  night,"  said  the  Million- 
naire,  with  a  stylish  sigh. 

"  We  dine  at  night  also,"  quietly  replied  Mrs. 
Hughes.  "  Two  o'clock  used  to  be  our  hour. 
Now,  however,  Mr.  Hughes's  business  permits 
him  to  make  it  half-past  five.  We  rarely  vary  a 
moment  in  sitting  down,  and  as  the  waitress 
helps  to  clear  away  the  dishes,  all  the  work  is 
finished  by  seven  o'clock." 

"  Supposing  you  kept  no  waitress,  what 
then  1 "  asked  the  Practical  Person. 

"  Before  I  kept  a  waitress,  or  had  a  butler's 
pantry,  I  allowed  the  cook  to  leave  all  the  din- 
ing-room dishes,  china,  glass,  and  silver,  neatly 
piled  on  a  small  side-table  in  the  dining-room. 
These  dishes  were  out  of  our  sight  as  we  sat  in 
the  parlor,  and  could  be  quickly  washed  in  the 
morning.  It  was  not,  of  course,  my  chosen 
way,  but  it  was  the  best  I  could  do  then,  and 


THE  SERVANTS'   SIDE.  131 

it  seemed  to  me  more  just  than  to  take  my 
servants'  own  time  to  put  my  dining-room  in 
perfect  order." 

"  Supposing,  Mrs.  Hughes,  you  had  had  a 
tardy  husband,  what  would  have  become  of 
Biddy  then,  poor  thing  .-* "  asked  the  Sprightly 
Lady. 

Here  I  shrank  farther  into  my  retreat,  for  I 
felt  that  these  remarks  were  becoming  disturb- 
ingly personal.     I  was  tardy  myself  occasionally. 

"  I  had  that  domestic  grievance  once,"  said 
Mrs.  Hughes,  with  a  smile  ;  "  but  I  sat  down  to 
dinner  promptly." 

"  Was  Mr.  Hughes  sent  to  bed  without  his 
dinner?"  inquired  the  Sprightly  Lady,  with  an 
air  of  concern. 

"  No ;  but  when  he  came  I  laid  the  matter 
before  him  —  " 

"What, — the  lecture,  or  the  dinner?"  asked 
the  Sprightly  One. 

"  *  Both,  your  Majesty  !  ' "  laughed  Mrs. 
Hughes  ;  "for  I  waited  on  him  myself,  and  I  took 
care  that  my  discourse  should  follow  a  good  din- 
ner. In  fact,  I  did  not  say  anything  the  first  time 
or  two,  and  at  last,  when  I  did  speak  of  the  ser- 
vants' rights  and  hardships  in  this  respect,  Mr. 
Hughes  had  the  manliness  and  good  sense  to 
see  the  justice  of  it  all,  and  as  there  was  no  real 
cause  for   his   tardiness,  he  corrected   it,   very 


132  THE  BIDDY  CLUB. 

much  to  the  benefit  of  his  health,  as  well  as  to 
our  servants'  comfort." 

"  But,  Mrs.  Hughes,"  persisted  the  Practical 
Person,  "some  men  cannot  be  regular — doc- 
tors, for  instance." 

"  I  think  most  irregular  men  could  improve 
if  they  tried  hard  enough,  even  doctors.  The 
trouble  with  such  is,  that  because  they  are 
obliged  to  be  somewhat  lax,  they  learn  to  look 
upon  their  irregularity  lightly,  and  often  prac- 
tise it  unnecessarily,  not  realizing  how  much 
they  are  adding  to  the  toils  of  the  servants  and 
the  cares  of  the  housekeeper.  At  the  risk  of 
repeating  myself  again  and  again,  I  must  say 
that  I  think  servants,  as  a  class,  are  very  hardly 
dealt  with,  and  I  earnestly  believe  that  more 
competence  on  the  part  of  their  mistresses, 
added  to  more  justice  and  kindness,  would  al- 
most entirely  abolish  these  servant  troubles,  the 
outcry  about  which  rings  from  shore  to  shore 
of  our  country." 

"  It  might  be  more  discreet,  Mrs.  Hughes,  to 
lay  the  blame  on  the  servants,  since  they  are  not 
here  and  cannot  fight  back,"  said  the  Sprightly 
Lady. 

"  More  discreet,  and  likewise  more  cowardly," 
said  Dolly. 

"  I  think  the  servants  have  been  blamed  too 
much  already,"  Mrs.  Hughes  continued.    "They 


THE  SERVANTS'   SIDE.  1 33 

have  faults  enough,  without  being  made  to  bear 
those  of  other   people." 

"  I  fear,  Mrs.  Hughes,"  observed  the  Imita- 
tion Millionnaire,  with  polite  severity,  "  you 
would  revolutionize   our  whole  service." 

"I  wish  she  might,"  responded  one  of  the 
Silent  Members,  whose  face  had  a  careworn 
look.  "  I  would  n't  care  who  was  blamed,  myself 
or  my  servant,  so  the  remedy  was  pointed  out." 

"  Many  women,"  said  Mrs.  Hughes,  "  complain 
that  their  lot  in  life  is  needlessly  made  much 
harder  than  the  lot  of  men.  You  can  look  about 
you  in  any  assemblage,  and  you  will  see  the 
word  'injustice'  written  on  the  faces  of  a  large 
number  of  the  women.  And  yet,  when  women 
have  to  deal  with  women,  they  aggravate  rather 
than  decrease  this  very  element  of  injustice. 
For  my  part,  I  never  could  see  why  a  great 
number  of  day  laborers  in  our  country  should 
earn  from  one  to  two  dollars  a  day,  and  have 
their  working-time  reduced  from  twelve  to  ten 
and  from  ten  to  eight  hours,  while  the  large 
mass  of  working-women  are  expected  to  be  on 
duty  from  five  or  six  in  the  morning  until  nine  or 
ten  at  night,  and  in  many  families  to  be  actively 
employed  most  of  that  time, —  Sundays  included, 
—  for  the  sum  of  thirty  or  forty  cents  a  day." 

"  And  their  board,  Mrs.  Hughes  ;  you  forget 
that,"  said  the  Practical  Person. 


134  THE  BIDDY  CLUB. 

"Yes,"  said  Mrs.  Hughes;  "but  in  many 
families  the  board  is  only  worthy  of  being  for- 
gotten. No;  deny  or  evade  it  as  we  will,  there 
is  clearly  a  wrong  in  this  difference  between  the 
service  of  men  and  women.  We  are  greatly 
indebted  to  our  servants ;  they  save  us  both 
time  and  strength,  and  take  much  that  is  hard 
and  disagreeable  out  of  our  lives.  But  our 
return  for  all  this  is  most  meagre." 

"  Well,  Mrs.  Hughes,  if  your  ideas  were  car- 
ried out —  I  mean,  if  we  had  to  pay  women  as 
much  as  men  —  most  of  us  would  have  to  do 
without  servants,"  said  the  Practical  Person. 

"I  am  reminded  just  here  of  one  of  Mr. 
Beecher's  sermons,  in  which  he  dwelt  at  length 
upon  the  care  of  the  slave  which  was  enjoined 
by  the  Lord  in  olden  times.  He  said  that  it 
was  not  every  one  who  could  afford  to  keep 
slaves  under  those  conditions  ;  and  that  it  was 
just  so  in  our  country,  —  the  moment  that  slave- 
holders were  compelled  to  do  full  justice  to  their 
slaves,  that  moment  slavery  became  too  expen- 
sive a  luxury." 

"  Would  you  then  abolish  servants,  Mrs. 
Hughes.''"  queried  the  Imitation  Millionnaire,  in 
such  icy  tones  that  I  felt  she  ought  to  be  put  in 
the  oven  for  an  hour  or  two. 

"No,  I  don't  think  that  would  be  necessary  ; 
but  I  would  have  them  very  differently  treated. 


THE  SERVANTS'   SIDE.  135 

A  lady  friend  of  mine  was  almost  offended  with 
me  when  she  learned  that  I  was  paying  my  cook 
what  she  termed  too  high  wages.  She  said  that 
I  was  inflicting  a  wrong  upon  other  ladies  by 
so  doing.  I  know  of  a  lady  who  is  wealthy,  and 
who  pays  her  cook  but  three  dollars  a  week,  not 
because  she  can  afford  no  more,  but  because  she 
takes  her  stand  upon  high  moral  grounds,  and 
thinks  that  she  has  no  right  to  unsettle  service 
by  paying  extravagant  wages.  Some  time  ago 
I  read  in  a  magazine  a  short  article  on  the  ser- 
vant question,  which  contended  that  it  was  unjust 
to  fix  upon  one  average  price,  and  pay  this  to 
the  skilled  and  the  unskilled  alike  ;  and  with  this 
sentiment  I  heartily  agree." 

"  But,  Mrs.  Hughes,"  exclaimed  the  Practical 
Person,  with  some  excitement,  "  do  you  see 
where  all  this  is  going  to  lead  us  } " 

"  That  is  a  secondary  matter  beside  the  ques- 
tion, '  Is  it  right } '  "  answered  Mrs.  Hughes. 

"Certainly,"  said  the  Sprightly  Lady;  "if 
it 's  time  to  take  a  bath,  don't  go  to  poking  a 
stick  in  the  water,  to  see  whether  you  're 
going  to  alight  on  rock  or  sand  ;  just  hop  in, 
head  first." 

Everybody  laughed  here,  particularly  those 
ladies  whose  faces  expressed  opposition  to  the 
new  suggestions ;  but  Mrs.  Hughes  proceeded 
quietly :  — 


136  THE  BIDDY  CLUB. 

"As  I  said  before,  I  don't  think  that  justice 
and  kindness  would  abolish  service.  I  believe, 
however,  that  it  would  be  improved  thereby.  It 
is  true  that  many,  perhaps  the  large  majority 
of  families,  could  not  afford  to  employ  skilled 
labor ;  but  in  that  respect  I  don't  think  they 
would  be  any  worse  off  than  they  are  now. 
There  are,  and  probably  always  will  be,  many 
young,  inexperienced  girls,  whose  strength  and 
time  would  be  of  aid.  Various  arrangements 
might  be  made  with  such  servants  ;  if  they  were 
docile,  and  reasonably  bright,  they  might  be  paid 
a  small  sum — perhaps  a  dollar  a  week  —  in 
addition  to  their  board,  for  three  months  ;  then, 
if  they  had  improved  sufficiently  to  warrant  it, 
two  dollars  a  week  for  another  three  months. 
By  this  time  they  ought  to  become  very  com- 
petent servants." 

"  And  this  would  be  about  the  time  they 
would  murmur  '  By-by '  to  the  poor  little  pov- 
erty-stricken instructress,  and  pass  over  to 
some  ten-dollar-a-week  lady,"  said  the  Sprightly 
Member. 

"Yes,  indeed!"  murmured  an  indignant 
chorus. 

"  That  could  be  prevented  by  arranging  that 
the  girl  should  continue  her  service  for  mod- 
erate wages  —  three  dollars  a  week,  perhaps  — 
for  six  months  after  she  became  competent." 


THE  SERVANTS'  SIDE.  1 37 

"  How  could  you  hold  her  ?  "  asked  a  Silent 
Member. 

"  That  might  be  managed  by  making  a  written 
agreement  with  her  when  she  first  came,  and 
paying  her  but  a  small  part  of  her  wages  until 
the  end  of  the  year.  For  myself,  though,  I 
would  prefer  to  draw  up  the  contract  and  merely 
trust  to  her  honor  to  keep  it.  I  have  again  and 
again  trusted  to  a  servant's  honor  in  matters  of 
this  kind,  and  in  an  experience  of  some  years 
have  rarely  ever  been  disappointed." 

"  What  of  this  domestic  lady,  after  she  be- 
comes skilled  and  has  served  her  six  months  ? " 
asked  the  Sprightly  One. 

"  I  cannot  pretend  to  set  positive  wages,  but 
I  can  give  it  as  my  opinion  that  skilled  service, 
instead  of  receiving  too  much  at  present,  does 
not  receive  enough.  Compensation  would,  I 
think,  be  the  key  to  the  difficulty  arising  from 
the  payment  of  very  high  wages  by  the  wealthy 
few.  Probably  a  large  number,  even  of  those  who 
are  comparatively  well  off,  could  not  afford  to 
give  such  wages,  but  they  might  give  somewhat 
more  than  they  do,  if  they  denied  themselves 
needless  things  ;  and  this,  with  the  addition  of 
many  privileges  in  the  way  of  time  not  granted 
by  those  who  paid  more,  would  probably  always 
insure  them  good  servants." 

"  Oh,  my  husband  says  it 's  all  nonsense  for  a 


138  THE  BIDDY  CLUB. 

woman  to  think  of  earning  as  much  as  a  man  ! " 
exclaimed  the  Frivolous  Lady.  "  He  says  that 
they  lack  permanency,  and  so  they  are  not  of 
as  much  account.  He  says  that  the  moment  a 
woman  is  well  broken  in  to  any  business  she 
flies  off  and  marries." 

"That  is  largely  true  in  some  occupations,  and 
must,  of  course,  impair  the  value  of  female  ser- 
vice, but  I  cannot  believe  that  it  applies  here. 
I  think  that  we  could  find  as  many  female  as 
male  servants  who  had  remained  in  the  same 
place  a  number  of  years;  and  yet  it  often  hap- 
pens that  a  man  will  be  paid  more,  even  in  this 
capacity,  than  a  woman.  A  friend  of  mine  in 
a  distant  city  told  me  that  the  highest  price 
paid  to  a  cook  was  from  seventeen  to  twenty 
dollars  a  month,  while  a  coachman  in  the  same 
place  received  as  much  as  forty  dollars  ;  and  his 
work  was  seldom  so  hard,  and,  indeed,  called 
for  less  knowledge  and  skill.  Such  things  are 
unjust." 

"  But,  Mrs.  Hughes,"  exclaimed  the  Practical 
Person,  "surely  you  wouldn't  have  us  pay  girls 
forty  dollars  a  month  !  " 

"  No,  I  think  those  wages  too  high,  excepting 
in  very  rare  cases ;  but  I  also  think  it  wrong  to 
pay  them  to  coachmen." 

"Mrs.  Hughes,  I  think  you  lose  sight  of  some 
points  in  this  question,"  said  the  Practical  Per- 


THE  SERVANTS'  SIDE.  139 

son.  "  When  men  earn  two  and  three  dollars 
a  day  as  laborers,  it  is  not  in  some  situation 
which  they  can  render  comparatively  permanent 
if  they  will,  but  for  what  might  be  called  odd 
jobs  usually  ;  and  although  some  of  the  most  for 
tunate  do  have  steady  work  the  year  through 
at  such  rates,  they  are  not  in  the  majority  by 
any  means.  Then,  again,  I  know  that  in  the 
payment  of  their  employees,  business  men  often 
make  a  distinction  between  single  and  married 
men,  paying  the  higher  wages  to  the  latter." 

"  I  bear  all  this  in  mind,  I  think,  and  for  that, 
among  other  reasons,  do  not  advocate  paying 
our  servants  two  or  three  dollars  a  day  ;  but  all 
you  have  just  said  does  not  argue  away  the  in- 
justice of  paying  single  men  forty  dollars  a 
month  and  their  board,  when  they  are  employed 
as  coachmen,  while  the  cook,  and  also  the  laun- 
dress, in  the  same  family,  receive  but  twenty 
dollars  monthly.  No  ;  we  cannot  deny  that 
there  is  a  wrong  here  which  must  needs  be 
righted  some  time  or  other.  Look  at  the  cases 
where  married  women  are  hired  by  the  job. 
Some  of  us  grumble  a  little  if  we  have  to  pay 
a  woman  a  dollar  and  a  half  for  standing  at  an 
ironing-board  all  day.  It  does  not  matter  if 
she  understands  her  business  and  does  up  our 
clothes  beautifully,  we  think  she  is  well  paid  for 
it ;  and  if  she  finishes  her  work  by  four  or  five 


I40  THE  BIDDY  CLUB. 

in  the  afternoon  we  feel  quite  injured,  and  tell 
how  Mrs.  Smith  or  Mrs.  Jones  once  had  a  laun- 
dress who  came  at  seven  and  worked  till  seven, 
for  a  dollar  and  a  quarter.  A  shame  on  Mrs. 
Smith  or  Mrs,  Jones,  I  say,  to  take  a  working- 
woman's  time,  strength,  and  skill,  without  paying 
her  for  them  !  No  dollar  and  a  quarter  ever 
paid  for  eleven  or  twelve  hours  laundry-work,  if 
the  work  was  at  all  well  done  !  I  am  ashamed  of 
my  sex  whenever  I  hear  of  such  things.  And 
there  are  sewing-girls  who  are  wronged,  too. 
How  much  has  been  written  to  induce  people  to 
hire  them  for  seventy-five  cents  or  a  dollar  a 
day !  We  would  think  a  dollar  and  a  half  very 
high,  and  two  dollars  out  of  the  question,  even 
if  they  took  but  one  meal  at  our  houses." 

"  Mrs.  Hughes,"  said  one  of  the  Silent  Mem- 
bers, upon  whose  face  the  word  "injustice"  was 
certainly  written,  if  ever  it  was  written  upon 
any  woman's  countenance,  "  women  are  not 
wholly  to  blame  in  this  matter,  for  the  majority 
of  housekeepers  have  so  little  money  allowed 
them  for  household  expenses,  and  have  so  little 
strength  left  after  attending  to  the  demands  of  a 
number  of  children,  that  they  have  to  get  their 
work  done  for  the  least  possible  amount." 

"There  is  both  comfort  and  humiliation  in  this 
thought,  —  comfort  in  the  hope  that  when  wo- 
men have  their  rights  they  will  deal  more  honor- 


THE  SERVANTS'  SIDE.  141 

ably  by  their  own  sex,  and  humiliation  in  the 
knowledge  that  they  are  so  deeply  wronged 
now." 

"Oh,  really,  Mrs.  Hughes,  men  can't  always 
help  it!"  exclaimed  the  Sprightly  Lady.  "Don't 
chastise  the  poor  fellows  with  scorpions  when 
they  don't  deserve  it.  Some  of  them  are  as 
poor  as  Job's  celebrated  fowls,  you  know." 

"  Yes,  I  know  that ;  but  there  is  nevertheless 
a  wrong,  —  one  that  we  cannot  take  up  now,  as  it 
has  but  a  remote  connection  with  the  servant 
question,  and  is,  indeed,  difficult  to  deal  with  at 
any  time.  But  I  can  say  this  much,  and  then 
return  to  the  main  subject  of  our  discussion. 
Unless  sickness  or  some  unlooked-for  calamity 
has  made  a  great  and  unexpected  change  in  the 
aspect  of  home  affairs,  there  is  always  a  wrong 
involved  when  women  are  so  heavily  burdened 
with  cares  that  they  cannot  order  aright  their 
own  lives  and  those  of  others  over  whom  they 
have  control.  I  had  intended  merely  to  touch 
upon  this  question  of  servants'  wages,  inasmuch 
as  very  little  that  is  definite  can  be  said  upon 
the  subject.  In  my  experience  I  have  found, 
even  since  my  income  justified  me  in  giving  the 
highest  wages,  that,  except  in  rare  cases,  where 
the  value  of  the  servant  is  unquestionable,  it  is 
better  to  begin  with  the  payment  of  moderate 
wages,  promising  an  increase  at  the  rate  of  half 


142  THE  BIDDY  CLUB. 

a  dollar  a  week,  perhaps,  every  few  months,  if 
the  girl's  acquirements  should  justify  it.  House- 
work is,  in  many  respects,  so  variable,  —  dijEfer- 
ent  families  have  such  diverse  ways  of  doing 
their  work,  —  that  a  girl  almost  always  has  much 
to  learn  in  a  new  place  ;  and  for  this  reason,  and 
also  because  the  increase  of  wages  gives  her  an 
incentive  to  remain,  it  is  wise  to  adopt  this 
plan.  I  have  generally  done  so,  telling  the  ser- 
vant, upon  her  engagement,  when  I  would  raise 
her  wages,  and  to  what  sum,  that  she  might 
know  just  what  to  expect.  Indeed,  I  have  the 
articles  of  our  agreement  very  plainly  drawn  up, 
and  in  some  cases  put  down  in  writing." 

"  Mrs.  Hughes,"  said  Dolly,  "  do  you  object  to 
a  girl's  asking  a  great  many  questions  when  she 
comes  to  apply  for  a  place  .''  " 

"  Certainly  not.  I  ask  many  myself  as  to  her 
knowledge  and  references.  Why  should  she  not 
want  to  know  about  her  work,  —  to  know  what 
she  is  undertaking }  Of  course  a  girl  may  make 
her  inquiries  in  an  insolent  manner,  and  in  such 
a  case  I  would  reject  her ;  or  she  may  show,  by 
the  style  of  her  inquiries,  that  she  is  one  of  those 
who  will  go  just  so  far  and  not  an  inch  farther,  in 
responding  to  necessary  demands,  and  I  always 
reject  any  one  who  betrays  such  a  disposition  ; 
but  I  have  for  years  past  had  very  little  trouble 
either  in  engaging  or  keeping  servants.     Sick- 


THE  SERVANTS'   SIDE.  I43 

ness,  marriage,  or  removal  of  their  families,  have 
been  the  only  causes  of  my  changing,  or  their 
leaving  me." 

"  Do  you  tell  a  girl  all  your  requirements  upon 
engaging  her  ?  "  asked  Dolly. 

"  No,  that  would  be  impossible.  I  learn  some- 
thing of  her  abilities,  and  then  after  telling  her 
of  my  few  rules  about  the  servants'  table,  their 
dress,  and  so  on,  I  say  something  like  this : 
*  You  will  find  me  very  strict  and  particular  in 
some  things,  but  you  will  also  find,  I  think,  that 
I  do  not  begrudge  my  servants  any  privilege 
or  pleasure  which  it  is  possible  for  me  to  grant. 
Indeed,  it  would  be  a  grief  to  me  to  learn  that 
one  of  my  maids  was  unhappy.  I  want  you  to 
have  your  pleasures,  and  will  often  be  willing 
to  put  myself  out  considerably  to  give  them  to 
you.  I  shall  do  the  very  best  I  can  by  you,  and 
I  shall  look  to  you  to  do  the  very  best  you  can 
by  me.'  " 

"At  this  point,"  said  the  Sprightly  One,  "  they 
should  begin  to  use  their  kerchiefs  violently." 

Mrs.  Hughes  laughed. 

"  No,  they  don't  weep  here,  but  they  are  never- 
theless impressed  by  the  idea  that  they  are  go- 
ing to  be  justly  and  kindly  treated.  And  if  they 
are  so  treated,  —  if  we  constantly,  by  words,  and 
by  example,  which  is  more  powerful,  set  before 
them  the  value  of  honor  and  justice,  —  we  shall 


144  THE  BIDDY  CLUB. 

find  that,  in  the  long  run,  they  will  treat  us 
well  also." 

"Now  we  are  upon  the  subject  of  servants' 
privileges,"  said  Dolly,  "  what  time  do  you  allow 
them  for  their  own,  Mrs.  Hughes?" 

Mrs.  Hughes  was  about  to  reply,  when  she 
suddenly  glanced    at  the  clock, 

"Speaking  of  time,"  she  said  with  a  laugh, 
"  reminds  me  that  it  is  high  time  I  held  my 
peace  for  to-day." 

"Let  it  be  agreed,  then,  that  servants  are 
to  have  no  time  at  all  until  we  meet  again  and 
decide  upon  the  proper  quantity,"  said  the 
Sprightly  Lady  ;  and  with  that,  the  Club  ad- 
journed. 


SERVANTS'   LEISURE    TIME.  145 


CHAPTER    IX. 

servants'  leisure  time. 

'T^HE  Sprightly  Lady  opened  the  next  meet- 
-^      ing  by  saying,  in  a  tone  of  deep  solicitude: 

"  Is  it  not  almost  time  our  poor  servants  had 
a  vacation  of  some  sort  ?  They  have  been  shut 
up  for  a  week  now." 

"  What  time  do  you  think  we  ought  to  give 
them,  Mrs.  Hughes  .? "  asked  Dolly,  repeating 
herself,  unlike  Shakespeare. 

"Well,  I  must  say,  I  think  the  Club  is  taking 
a  queer  turn.  I  supposed  we  met  to  increase 
our  privileges  in  dealing  with  these  servants,  but 
it  seems  we  are  here  to  increase  theirs!"  ex- 
claimed the  Frivolous  Person. 

"  There  are  two  sides  to  this  matter,  as  there 
are  to  every  right  ;  it  is  only  wrongs  that  are 
one-sided."  Mrs.  Hughes  spoke  almost  severely, 
an  unusual  tone  for  her  ;  but  I  think  that  the 
Frivolous  Young  Person  had  strained  her  pa- 
tience. "  As  to  the  matter  of  a  servant's  time 
one  can  fix  no  rules,  because  the  needs  of  differ- 
ent families  are  various  ;  but  I  really  think  that 

lO 


146  THE  BIDDY  CLUB. 

they  might  have  more  time  than  is  usually  given 
them.  It  seems  too  bad  to  allow  a  servant  but 
one  afternoon  during  the  week-days,  and  to  ex- 
pect her  then  to  hurry  home  and  get  a  dinner  or 
supper.  Sundays,  too,  families  are  often  incon- 
siderate ;  they  like  a  dinner  in  the  middle  of  the 
afternoon,  and  the  poor  servant  is  unable  to  get 
out  until  near  evening.  We  forget  that  most  of 
us  live  a  long  way  from  the  homes  and  churches 
of  these  girls,  and  much  of  their  time  is  con- 
sumed in  merely  going  and  coming.  I  have 
often  heard  ladies  express  indignation  at  the  un- 
willingness of  servants  to  go  far  out  of  town  ; 
but  we  ought  not  to  feel  so.  We  would  not 
like  to  live  at  a  great  distance  from  our  friends, 
the  churches,  and  the  stores,  if  our  leisure 
time  was  as  limited  as  theirs.  It  is  a  poor 
comment  upon  our  characters  that  such  is  the 
case,  but  we  certainly  do  need  to  be  often  re- 
minded of  the  fact  that  our  servants  are  human 
beings.  They  have  their  needs  as  well  as  we, 
and  one  of  these  needs  is  pleasure,  —  recrea- 
tion ;  and  we  should  see  to  it  that  it  is  properly 
supplied." 

"  I  don't  believe  in  allowing  servants  to  stay 
out  after  ten  o'clock  at  night,  nor  in  letting  them 
take  the  door-key,"  said  a  Silent  Member. 

"  Oh,  I  don't  care  how  late  they  stay,  so  they 
do  their  work!  "  exclaimed  the  Millionnaire. 


SERVANTS'  LEISURE   TIME.  1 47 

"  I  can't  agree  with  that,"  said  Dolly. 

"No,"  said  Mrs.  Hughes.  "I  think  we  are 
largely  responsible  to  God  if  our  servants  go  to 
ruin  in  body  or  soul,  and  they  might  do  so  if  we 
were  thus  careless  about  them.  They  are  more 
than  machines ;  and  although  the  doing  of  our 
work  is  an  important  consideration,  it  is  not 
the  only  one.  Ten  o'clock  is,  in  many  cases,  a 
reasonable  hour  ;  but  I  often  make  exceptions. 
I  tell  my  servants  that  it  is  not  possible  for  them 
to  sit  up  late  nights  and  do  their  work  properly 
the  next  day  without  injuring  their  health.  They 
rarely  ever  are  later  than  ten  in  going  to  bed 
when  they  go  to  church;  but  they  attend  a  club- 
meeting  once  in  a  while,  and  then  it  is  generally 
eleven,  sometimes  later,  before  they  return.  I 
think  that  if  all  ladies  would  consider  their  ser- 
vants a  little  more,  and  on  such  evenings  let 
them  start  out  earlier,  they  would  not  have  to 
stay  so  late  ;  for  my  servants  tell  me  that  on 
account  of  the  tardiness  of  the  members  in 
getting  there,  it  is  often  half-past  eight  before 
the  programme  begins, —  then  comes  a  supper, 
and  on  some  occasions  a  little  dance." 

"  The  gay  Bridgets  !"  murmured  the  Sprightly 
Lady. 

"  Yes,"  continued  Airs.  Hughes,  "  the  young  of 
most  animals  of  which  we  have  any  knowledge 
like  and  need  recreation  ;  and  though  the  read- 


148  THE  BIDDY  CLUB. 

ing  of  Baxter's  'Saint's  Rest'  may  be  sufficient 
for  an  aged  Christian,  it  is  not  generally  so  for  a 
young  servant-girl.  With  regard  to  my  servants' 
evenings,  as  I  have  often  said,  I  have  never  yet 
felt  that  any  wages  we  gave  them  was  sufficient 
to  pay  for  night  work ;  but  I  have  a  continual 
oversight  and  authority  over  their  night  as  well 
as  their  day,  for  the  sake  of  their  characters,  just 
as  many  an  employer  has  a  knowledge  of  the 
manner  in  which  his  employee  spends  his  leisure, 
and  indeed  some  authority  as  well.  I  think  I 
have  my  servants'  confidence  ;  they  tell  me 
where  they  are  going,  and  the  next  day  I  always 
ask  if  they  had  a  pleasant  time,  and  am  inter- 
ested in  hearing  something  of  what  went  on. 
When  they  are  out  unusually  late,  I  generally 
contrive  to  have  them  rest  a  little  the  next  day 
and  go  to  bed  early  the  next  night." 

"  I  feel  it 's  a  mercy  if  they  don't  want  to  run 
out  every  night,"  said  the  Practical  Person. 

"I  don't  allow  that,  excepting  in  rare  in- 
stances ;  for  even  if  the  places  to  which  they 
went  were  all  proper,  I  think  it  would  be  in- 
jurious to  them  to  go  out  so  much.  Christmas 
week  there  is  a  great  deal  going  on,  and  I  let 
the  servants  dissipate  a  little,  as  do  the  rest  of 
us.  I  like  considerable  gayety  at  that  time  my- 
self, and  I  am  anxious  that  the  servants  should 
have  a  good  time.     We  all  rest  afterward." 


SERVANTS'  LEISURE   TIME.  1 49 

"  Do  you  have  anything  to  say  about  your 
servants'  evenings  when  they  stay  at  home  ? " 
asked  Dolly. 

"  I  try  to  influence  them  to  employ  their  time 
to  advantage,  —  to  do  their  mending  and  some 
of  their  plainer  sewing  (I  let  them  use  my  ma- 
chine), and  I  try  to  supply  them  with  simple 
but  improving  reading." 

"  I  think  they  must  have  a  pretty  good  time 
in  your  house,"  said  the  Imitation  Millionnaire, 
with  the  faintest,  most  fashionable  trace  of  a 
sneer. 

"I  hope  they  do,"  answered  Mrs.  Hughes; 
"  I  should  grieve  to  think  I  had  an  overworked 
or  unhappy  servant  in  the  house." 

"  Do  your  servants  never  have  to  work 
nights  } "  asked  a  Silent  One. 

"  Yes  ;  in  emergencies,  such  as  times  of  sick- 
ness, or  when  I  am  preparing  for  a  journey,  I 
sometimes  have  to  call  on  them,  —  or  rather  I 
should  say  they  volunteer,  for  they  seldom  have 
to  be  asked.  If  they  know  I  am  in  any  extrem- 
ity they  appear  at  once.  But  if  they  do  extra 
work  for  me,  I  generally  compensate  them  by 
a  present,  or  by  some  privilege  —  though  not 
always ;  sometimes,  for  their  sake,  I  accept 
their  service  as  I  would  accept  the  service  of  a 
friend." 

"  Surely,  Mrs.   Hughes,"  exclaimed  the   Imi- 


LONG  BEACH  LEAGUE 
FOR  THE  HARD  Of  HEARING 


150  THE  BIDDY  CLUB. 

tation  Millionnaire,  "you  don't  count  your  ser- 
vants your  friends!" 

"  Not  in  a  social  sense,  but  in  the  broader 
sense  of  humanity  I  do,  and  I  trust  I  have 
proved  myself  their  friend." 

"Why,  Mrs.  Hughes,"  said  the  Frivolous 
Lady,  "  I  have  always  heard  that  you  were  an 
aristocrat ! " 

"  If  that  means  I  have  strong  feelings  on  the 
subject  of  caste,  you  have  heard  aright  ;  but  of 
that,  perhaps,  we  had  better  speak  at  some  other 
time." 

"  What  about  servants'  company,  Mrs. 
Hughes  }  "   asked   a  Silent  Lady. 

"  I  always  made  my  servants  understand  that 
their  friends  were  welcome,  out  of  workinc: 
hours.  On  special  occasions  they  have  had 
the  privilege  of  inviting  several  friends  to  take 
dinner  with  them." 

"  '  High  life  below  stairs  ' !  "  murmured  the 
Sprightly  Lady. 

"  And  whenever  any  relatives  or  especial 
friends  from  another  city  came  in  to  see  them, 
they  were  allowed  to  invite  them  to  stay  to 
whatever  meal  was  at  hand," 

"  I  think  your  kitchen  must  have  been  full 
of  company  half  the  time,"  said  the  Imitation 
Millionnaire, 

"  No,  it  was  not,     I  think  you  would  find,  as 


SERVANTS'  LEISURE   TIME.  151 

I  have,  that  good  servants  appreciate  but  never 
abuse  this  privilege,  and  I  never  extend  it  to 
any  others;  in  fact,  I  never  keep  any  others. 
There  is  a  point  in  connection  with  a  servant's 
time  of  which  I  would  like  to  speak.  I  once 
heard  a  friend  complain  bitterly  because,  after 
setting  out  her  Sunday  evening  tea,  she  discov- 
ered that  her  servant  was  upstairs,  instead  of 
being  out  of  the  house,  as  she  had  supposed. 
She  thought  the  girl  ought  to  have  come  down 
and  helped.  This  struck  me  as  very  unjust. 
Considering  the  fact  that  these  employees  of 
ours  work  for  us  seven  days  in  the  week,  instead 
of  six,  as  most  others  do,  a  certain  amount  of 
leisure  is  their  right.  Now,  if  instead  of  going 
out  the  girl  prefers  to  take  that  time  to  sew  or 
rest  at  home,  I  don't  think  I  should  call  on  her 
any  more  than  if  she  were  at  the  North  Pole. 
I  make  this  clear  to  my  servants,  telling  them 
that  if  they  wish  to  spend  their  leisure  at  home 
they  will  be  just  as  uninterrupted,  so  far  as  my 
work  is  concerned,  as  if  they  were  at  the  home 
of  some  friend." 

"  I  think  that  many  ladies  are  unreasonable 
and  unjust  toward  their  servants,"  said  Dolly, 
with  much  force. 

"  There  is  no  doubt  of  that,"  said  Mrs. 
Hughes,  "  but  the  law  of  compensation  finds 
them  out.     I  know  a  number  of  mistresses  who 


152  THE   BIDDY  CLUB. 

are  really  their  servants'  slaves  in  many  ways. 
They  have  been  unjust,  unreasonable,  and  mean 
for  so  long  that  they  have  acquired  a  bad  name 
among  the  girls,  and  their  house  is  avoided.  I 
think  it  must  be  mistresses  of  this  sort  whom 
I  have  occasionally  seen  at  intelligence  offices 
fairly  begging  girls  to  come  to  them,  offering 
them  all  sorts  of  foolish  indulgences,  and  so 
humbling  themselves  before  them  that  they 
must  have  inspired  a  thorough  contempt. 
These  women  were  probably  fresh  from  a  long 
siege  of  trials  which  resulted  from  doing  their 
own  work,  and  were  brought  to  the  extremity  of 
offering  many  unwise  privileges,  and  more  than 
that,  of  obeisance  to  these  servants.  When 
such  people  succeed  in  inducing  girls  to  enter 
their  service,  they  are  forced  to  treat  them  as 
if  they  were  glass,  and  might  break  at  any  mo- 
ment. They  tremble  continually  for  fear  they 
will  leave  ;  they  scarcely  dare  have  any  com- 
pany, and  really  live  in  a  sort  of  reign-of-terror 
atmosphere  in  their  own  houses." 

"  '  The  way  of  the  transgressor  is  hard,'  "  said 
the  Sprightly  Lady,  wiping  her  eyes. 

"  It  is,  indeed,"  said  Mrs.  Hughes,  with  a 
smile  ;  "  and  lest  I  may  be  forced  to  walk  therein, 
I  will  bring  my  remarks  to  a  close  before  I 
transgress  upon  your  time,  as  I  did  at  our  last 
meeting." 


HONOR  ABOVE  AND  BELOW  STAIRS.    1 53 


CHAPTER    X. 

HONOR  ABOVE  AND  BELOW  STAIRS. 

MRS.  HUGHES,"  said  the  Sprightly 
Lady,  soon  after  the  Club  had  as- 
sembled for  its  ninth  meeting,  "did  you  see 
that  article  the  other  day  asking  why  shop-girls 
preferred  to  sew  for  three  dollars  a  week  instead 
of  going  out  to  service  and  earning  two  and  a 
half,  with  board  ?  " 

"Yes;  and  I  also  saw  a  reply  to  it   to-day,' 
ostensibly  written  by  a  shop-girl." 

"  What  did  you  think  of  it  all  ?  "  queried  Dolly. 

"  I  thouGfht  there  was  both  sense  and  non- 
sense  in  it.  It  would  certainly  have  a  good 
influence  over  mistresses,  to  bear  constantly  in 
mind  the  fact  that  their  house  is  the  only  home 
their  servants  have  as  long  as  they  live  out. 
This  idea,  enforced  by  kindness  and  justice, 
would,  I  think,  tend  to  produce  a  greater  degree 
of  comfort  for  the  servants  in  all  respects.  But 
when  it  comes  to  any  attempt  to  pull  down  the 
wall  between  the  kitchen  and  the  parlor,  to 
abolish    caste,  and   put   the   servant   on  a  par 


154  THE  BIDDY  CLUB. 

with  the  family,  I  am  strongly  opposed  to  it ;  for, 
as  far  as  I  can  see,  little  but  evil  would  result 
to  both  employers  and  employees  from  such 
a  course.  Servants  would  imbibe  many  false 
ideas  as  to  their  position,  and  their  needs  of 
dress,  and  so  on,  —  ideas  more  or  less  injurious 
to  their  time,  means,  and  ultimately  to  their 
characters,  —  and  certainly  the  family  would  de- 
generate in  manners,  if  not  in  morals,  from  an 
intimate  association  with  those  as  uncultured 
and  ignorant  as  are  the  large  majority  of  our 
servants.  I  confess  I  have  no  patience  with 
any  talk  that  aims  at  the  abolition  of  caste  ;  for 
it  is  time  and  strength  wasted,  or  worse  than 
wasted,  since  it  puts  pernicious  ideas  into  the 
minds  of  the  ignorant.  The  rank  of  shop- 
girl, though  a  degree  or  two  higher  than  that 
of  kitchen-maid,  is  nevertheless  beneath  that  of 
lady,  and  —  " 

"  Oh,  Mrs.  Hughes  !  "  exclaimed  a  Silent 
Member,  "  I  have  been  taught  that  whoever 
behaves  well  and  possesses  a  fine  character  is 
a  lady,  whether  she  is  found  in  the  parlor  of 
her  own  home,  or  earning  her  living  at  the  wash- 
tub.  I  have  been  taught  to  respect  true  woman- 
hood wherever  it  appears." 

"  It  is  a  noble  lesson,"  said  Mrs.  Hughes, 
with  that  gentle  courtesy  which  was  one  of  her 
strongest  characteristics.     "  I  wish   we  had  all 


HONOR  ABOVE  AND  BELOW  STAIRS.    155 

learned  to  reverence  womanhood  and  manhood 
wherever  found ;  to  look  up  to  humanity,  and  to 
feel  that  on  the  great  questions  of  life  we  should 
all  be  as  one  family.  But  there  are  smaller 
matters,  finer,  nicer  distinctions,  certain  graces 
of  mind  and  manner,  which  a  form  of  education, 
to  which  we  give  the  name  of  culture,  alone 
seems  able  to  inculcate  ;  and  it  is  when  I  see 
one  who  combines  such  culture  with  the  grand 
traits  of  true  womanhood,  that  I  feel  I  am  privi- 
leged to  behold  a  perfect  lady.  She  would  be 
a  most  extraordinary  servant  indeed,  who  could 
enter  a  parlor  graced  with  such  people  and 
enjoy  their  social  pleasures.  What  would  be 
delightful  to  them  would  be  very  dull  to  her,  and 
the  amusements  and  conversation  which  would 
entertain  and  engage  her,  would  give  to  ladies 
but  small  pleasure,  if  indeed  they  were  not  re- 
pelled thereby.  It  is  a  difficult  matter,  this  of 
always  bearing  true  womanhood  and  manhood 
in  mind  reverently  ;  this  of  broadening  our 
sympathies,  enlarging  our  humanity,  and  yet 
never  doing  that  foolish  and  wicked  thing  of 
forsaking  our  high  estate,  —  selling  our  birth- 
right of  culture,  of  mental  superiority,  and  de- 
scending to  the  masses,  because  we  wish  to 
illustrate  a  crude  theory  of  equality." 

"Ah,  Mrs.  Hughes  !"  exclaimed  the  Sprightly 
Lady,  "  I  always  knew  you  were  an  aristocrat." 


156  THE  BIDDY  CLUB. 

"  So  am  I,"  said  the  Frivolous  Person.  "  Why, 
last  week  my  husband  said  he  wanted  to  bring 
a  young  man  out  to  dinner  with  him.  He 
praised  him  up  to  the  skies,  and  said  he  was 
going  to  make  his  mark,  and  all  that ;  but  at  the 
last  moment  I  found  out  that  his  mother  used 
to  be  my  mother's  seamstress,  and  I  told  my 
husband  that  if  he  invited  him  he'd  have  to 
dine  alone  with  him  ;  I  was  n't  going  to  sit  down 
to  dinner  with  any  seamstress's  son." 

I  saw  Mrs.  Hughes's  face  struggle  to  pre- 
serve its  equanimity  against  an  almost  over- 
whelming feeling  of  scorn. 

"  I  think  this  must  have  been  the  young 
man  who  dined  with  us  to-day,"  she  observed 
quietly. 

"  What !  do  you  entertain  such  company } " 
exclaimed  the  Frivolous  Person. 

"  Very  rarely ;  for  it  is  sadly  true  that  one 
seldom  has  the  privilege  of  meeting  such  a 
splendid  fellow  as  this  young  man." 

"  But  he  used  to  be  a  tinner ! "  gasped  the 
Frivolous  Young  Person.  "I  really  didn't 
know  that  at  first,  and  of  course  you  did  n't 
know  it." 

"  Oh,  yes,  I  knew  that  and  much  more  about 
im. 

The  Frivolous  Person  had  nothing  further 
to  say,  but  her  face  expressed  the  fact  that  she 


HONOR  ABOVE  AND  BELOW  STAIRS.    I  57 

had  but  a  small  opinion  of  Mrs.  Hughes,  from 
that  moment. 

"  Then  a  man's  occupation  makes  no  difference 
to  you.  For  my  part,  I  confess  I  have  always 
had  a  weakness  for  the  professions,"  sighed  the 
Imitation  One. 

"  Oh,  yes,"  replied  Mrs.  Hughes,  "  I  think 
that  in  the  long  run  we  may  confidently  expect 
to  find  a  certain  class  of  people  in  a  certain 
occupation.  But  there  are  striking  exceptions  to 
this  rule,  and  if  we  do  not  wish  to  lose  an  oppor- 
tunity, not  only  for  doing  right  but  also  for  en- 
larging our  natures,  and  improving  our  minds  as 
well  as  characters,  we  should  keep  a  watch  for 
just  such  exceptions,  and  recognize  them  heartily 
when  they  appear.  But  I  must  not  digress  ; 
this  subject  of  aristocracy  bears  upon  the  ser- 
vant question  only  in  a  limited  degree." 

"  I  think  it  bears  upon  it  forcibly,  for  I  find 
that  most  of  these  foreigners  come  over  to  this 
country  with  an  idea  that  in  America  all  stand 
on  an  equality,"  said  the  Imitation  Member. 

"  Yes,"  answered  Mrs.  Hughes,  "  and  this 
idea  is  not  confined  to  servants  alone.  A  friend 
of  mine  who  was  travelling  in  Sweden  met  there 
a  lady  of  high  rank,  and  was  questioned  by  her 
about  America.  This  Swedish  lady  insisted 
that  she  would  not  like  to  live  here.  'Oh,  I 
could  not  live  there  !  '  she  exclaimed,  '  for  my 


158  THE  BIDDY  CLUB. 

servants  and  family  would  all  be  on  an  equality!' 
and  it  was  almost  impossible  to  make  her  under- 
stand that  ideas  of  caste  obtained,  even  in  our 
new  country.  I  have  again  and  again  talked  to 
servants  on  this  subject." 

"  What  do  you  say  to  them  ?  "  asked  Dolly. 

"  Perhaps  the  easiest  answer  to  that  question," 
said  Mrs.  Hughes,  "would  be  to  tell  of  a  servant 
I  once  had  ;  and  this  story  will  also  illustrate  a 
statement  I  made  as  to  the  strength  of  servant- 
girls'  sense  of  honor.  I  engaged  this  girl,  on  a 
two  weeks'  trial,  as  nurse.  She  had  been  highly 
recommended  by  her  last  mistress,  the  wife  of  a 
lieutenant,  who  had,  as  I  afterward  learned, 
foolishly  indulged  her,  and  only  parted  with  her 
because  she  was  to  leave  the  city  and  could  not 
take  her.  Bridget  was  a  smart,  pleasant  girl,  — 
Irish  on  her  mother's  side  and  Hollander  on  her 
father's.  I  saw  she  would  not  do.  To  begin 
with,  she  came  to  the  front  door  when  she  first 
arrived,  and  although  I  lived  in  a  small  house 
then,  my  front  and  side  or  back  doors  were  as  dis- 
tinct as  now.  She  often  went  up  and  down  the 
front  stairs,  and  she  was  constantly  attempting  to 
talk  with  me  with  the  easy  familiarity  of  an  old 
friend.  She  spoke  to  and  of  the  children  in  the 
same  way,  and  when  she  came  into  the  drawing- 
room  at  night  to  take  them  away  to  bed,  she 
would  enter  into  a  conversation  with  them  right 


HONOR  ABOVE  AND  BELOW  STAIRS.    159 

before  the  family,  arguing  about  their  going,  and 
so  on.  She  had  sense  enough  to  see  that  all 
these  ways  were  displeasing  to  us,  but  not  sense 
enough  to  change  them.  At  the  end  of  two 
days  I  told  her  that  I  saw  she  would  not  do  for 
the  place,  and  she  told  me  she  would  not  care  to 
stay.  She  talked  very  freely  with  me,  and  as 
she  spoke  pleasantly  and  without  impertinence, 
I  listened  to  all  she  had  to  say.  She  told  me 
she  would  not  be  willing  to  live  in  any  place 
where  she  would  not  be  treated  as  one  of  the 
family.  I  then  told  her  of  the  mistake  she  and 
many  other  foreigners  made,  with  regard  to  this 
country  ;  told  her  that  ideas  of  caste  were  as 
strong  here  as  elsewhere,  though,  on  account  of 
the  absence  of  titles,  less  clearly  defined.  I  told 
her  that  if  she  wished  to  be  received  on  terms 
of  equality  with  a  family  of  education  and  refine- 
ment, there  was  a  possible  course  open  to  her, 
if  she  possessed  great  natural  ability  ;  but  that 
such  a  course  meant  very  hard  work  —  the  hard 
study  necessary  for  self-education.  If  she  used 
every  spare  hour  to  study  and  improve  herself, 
she  might  hope,  in  the  course  of  time,  to  take  a 
very  different  position  from  that  which  she  then 
occupied  ;  but  unless  she  was  willing  to  per- 
form the  work,  she  must  not  expect  to  reap  the 
reward,  —  in  plainer  words,  as  long  as  she  was 
greatly  inferior  to  her  employers   in  education 


l6o  THE  BIDDY  CLUB. 

and  general  culture,  she  must  not  expect  to  be 
received  as  an  equal.  I  told  her,  furthermore, 
that  all  did  not  have  to  toil  so  unremittingly  as 
she  would,  in  order  to  obtain  these  privileges, 
for  some  were  born  to  them  ;  that  is,  refinement 
of  nature  and  manner,  and  an  inclination  toward 
education,  came  to  some  as  a  birthright,  but 
with  this,  a  certain  amount  of  mental  work  must 
be  performed,  or  even  the  possessor  of  such 
natural  advantages  failed  to  hold  his  place  in 
the  highest  circle.  Furthermore,  I  told  her 
that  if  she  felt  disinclined  to  toil  in  that  way,  in 
order  to  obtain  such  social  advantages,  it  was 
possible  for  her  to  earn  an  honest  living,  and 
win  the  respect  of  her  employers,  without  such 
mental  labor.  I  told  her  that  the  pride  that 
prevented  her  from  taking  her  proper  position 
in  the  social  scale  was  false  ;  true  pride  she 
should  not  be  without,  and  I  thought  she  did 
possess  much  of  that.  I  bade  her  cling  to  the 
pride  which  kept  her  honest,  the  pride  that 
kept  her  virtuous,  and  also  to  cultivate  that 
pride  in  her  work  which  made  her  strive  toward 
perfection  in  its  performance,  —  that  pride  which 
forbade  her  to  take  from  an  employer  a  dollar 
which  she  could  not  feel  she  had  truly  earned. 
Such  pride  would  greatly  aid  her  to  lead  a  re- 
spected and  happy  life ;  but  the  foolish  pride 
which  made   her   covet   and    even    insist   upon 


HONOR  ABOVE  AND  BELOW  STAIRS.    l6l 

social  privileges  which  she  was  unfitted  to  re- 
ceive, was  unworthy  of  respect,  —  of  aught,  in- 
deed, but  scorn. 

"  I  know  not  what   effect   these  words   may- 
have  had  upon  her  later.     Possibly  there  came 
a  time  when   their  truth  was    made    clearer  to 
her  ;  but  when  I  spoke  there  was  no  sign  that 
she    saw    any   reason    to    change    her  views  or 
desires.     It  was  decided   that  we  should    part, 
and  she  remarked  that  at  the  end  of  two  weeks 
I  would  doubtless  have  found  somebody  to  take 
her  place  ;  and  to  this  I  assented.     That  week, 
Friday,   I  let  her  go  out,  and  upon  her  return 
she  told  me  that  a  lady  living  next  door  to  her 
former  mistress  wanted  to  engage  her  for  the 
same  price  I  was  paying,  and  had  but  one  child, 
instead  of  two,  for  her  to  take  charge  of  ;   but 
if  she   took    this    place    she   must   go    at  once, 
as  the  lady  was    ill  and  could  not  wait.     She 
told    me  that  she  had  promised  to   go    to    her 
Monday.       I    said,    '  You    are    not   free    to   go, 
Bridget.'     This  surprised  her ;  but  I  went  on  : 
'  Did   you  not  engage  yourself  to    me  for  two 
weeks  ? '      '  Yes  'm,    but    I    did  n't    know   as    I 
promised  to  stay  that  long.'     'To  what  did  the 
engagement   amount,  then  }     If  you  were  free 
to  leave  me  as  soon  as  you  found  another  place, 
then  I  must  have  been  free  to  discharge  you  as 
soon  as  I  found  another  girl ;  and  in  that  case 

II 


1 62  THE  BIDDY  CLUB. 

your  engagement  to  stay  with  me  two  weeks, 
and  mine  to  keep  you  two  weeks,  was  mere 
nonsense.  The  only  exception  we  made  to  the 
binding  of  the  contract  was  some  very  flagrant 
act  either  on  your  part  or  mine.  But  nothing 
of  that  sort  has  occurred,  so  I  am  bound  to 
keep  you  till  the  end  of  two  weeks,  and  you  are 
bound  to  stay,  unless  we  both  agree  to  part  be- 
fore then.'  She  replied  that  all  that  was  some- 
thing she  had  not  thought  of,  and  she  considered 
herself  free  to  go  and  take  that  place.  I  said, 
'  Bridget,  there  is  no  law  to  prevent  you  from 
walking  out  of  my  house  to-night,  save  the  law 
of  honor.  You  are  bound  by  your  word.'  She 
answered  me,  as  earnestly  as  I  spoke,  '  Mrs. 
Hughes,  I  never  told  a  falsehood  in  my  life.'  I 
said  that  I  hoped  she  never  would,  but  that  she 
could  not  leave  me  before  her  time  expired,  un- 
less I  was  willing  to  have  her  do  so,  without 
breaking  her  word.  She  said  it  was  not  very 
pleasant  for  her  to  feel  that  she  was  bound.  I 
told  her  that  every  contract  was  binding,  and 
that  no  business  could  be  carried  on  without 
contracts  ;  that  whenever  a  girl  went  to  a  place 
there  was  a  verbal  contract  made,  she  agreeing 
to  do  certain  work,  and  the  mistress  agreeing 
to  give  certain  privileges  and  pay  certain  wages. 
No  business  could  be  carried  on,  I  told  her,  if 
people   universally  broke   their  contracts.     Be- 


HONOR  ABOVE  AND  BELOW  STAIRS.    163 

cause  many  people  did  so,  there  was  much  trou- 
ble in  the  business  world.  I  also  explained  to 
her  that  no  contract  could  bind  one  side  alone, 
and  that  in  our  own  particular  case  I  was  not  free 
to  take  another  girl  unless  I  kept  her  and  contin- 
ued her  wages  also.  For  that  reason,  I  said,  I 
had  not  yet  begun  to  look  for  a  girl  ;  for  I  did 
not  suppose  one  would  be  willing  to  delay  com- 
ing to  me  so  long,  and  I  did  not  wish  to  be  pay- 
ing two  for  the  same  work.  I  saw  signs  of  her 
yielding,  but  she  maintained  that  she  did  not 
want  to  lose  a  good  place,  —  that  she  would 
rather  lose  all  her  wages  from  me.  I  replied, 
'  Your  wages,  Bridget,  are  the  least  of  what  you 
would  lose  if  you  left  me  in  defiance  of  your 
promise  ;  you  would  lose  your  character  as  an 
honorable  girl.'  I  assured  her  that  I  should  be 
very  sorry  to  have  her  forfeit  a  good  place  on 
my  account,  and  that  I  would  take  every  pains 
to  secure  a  girl  so  that  she  could  leave  me  in 
time  to  go  to  this  lady,  but  that  in  my  health 
I  did  not  feel  able  to  be  left  with  but  one 
servant. 

"  I  applied  immediately  to  two  intelligence 
offices,  and  spoke  to  a  number  of  my  friends 
of  my  need  ;  but  until  the  next  Wednesday  I 
did  not  succeed  in  procuring  a  suitable  nurse. 
Bridget  had  not  said  she  would  stay,  but  in  my 
own    mind   I  had  little  doubt   of  it,  so  strong 


1 64  THE  BIDDY  CLUB. 

had  I  always  found  this  sense  of  honor  and 
justice  in  the  minds  of  respectable  servants. 
When  I  came  to  settle  with  her  on  the  following 
Wednesday,  I  told  her  that  her  course  had  won 
my  respect,  and  that  I  hoped  she  would  always 
so  live  as  to  compel  the  respect  of  all  who  dealt 
with  her.  I  paid  her  up  to  the  time  she  left, 
although  she  said  I  need  only  pay  her  for  one 
week.  I  told  her  also  that  if  she  had  lost  that 
place  and  wished  to  stay  with  me  till  the  end  of 
the  two  weeks,  I  was  bound  to  keep  her  and  pay 
her  the  two  weeks'  wages,  and  that  I  would  do 
so  cheerfully.  But  she  thought  she  might  pos- 
sibly be  able  to  get  that  place,  or  if  not,  she 
could  take  another.  She  told  me  she  wanted  to 
thank  me  for  the  lesson  I  had  taught  her  ;  that 
I  had  impressed  her  with  the  feeling  that  I 
would  treat  her  with  the  strictest  kindness  and 
justice  ;  and  more  than  that,  I  had  led  her  to 
see  a  meaning  in  an  engagement  which  she  had 
never  thought  of  before." 

"  I  should  think  such  a  servant  as  that  could 
instruct  many  mistresses  in  the  code  of  honor," 
said  a  Silent  Member.  "  I  have  known  ladies 
who  needed  a  girl  for  a  few  weeks  only,  during 
the  vacation  of  the  regular  servant  or  something 
of  that  kind,  to  engage  one  without  telling  her 
that  the  place  was  only  temporary," 

"  Yes,  I  have  known  of   that  and  other  dis- 


HONOR  ABOVE  AND  BELOW  STAIRS.    1 65 

honorable  actions  on  the  part  of  mistresses ; 
and  when  I  contrast  these  things  with  the  con- 
duct of  many  servants  I  have  had,  I  feel  as  if 
honor  had  fled  to  the  basement." 

"  Why,  really,  Mrs.  Hughes,"  said  the  Imita- 
tion Millionnaire,  "  I  think  you  are  rather  se- 
vere ;  for  my  part,  I  cannot  see  that  a  mistress 
is  bound  to  specify  the  length  of  time  when  she 
engages  a  servant." 

"  No,  she  can  hardly  do  so,"  returned  Mrs. 
Hughes,  "for  the  term  of  engagement  must  be 
regulated  by  many  unforeseen  circumstances. 
But  a  lady  who  deliberately  withholds  anything 
which  she  has  reason  to  believe  would  cause  the 
girl  to  refuse  the  place,  is  acting  dishonorably. 
Few  girls  who  are  worth  having  would  be  will- 
ing to  undertake  to  learn  the  duties  of  a  new 
situation,  to  say  nothing  of  the  trouble  and 
expense  of  moving  their  baggage,  and  the  pos- 
sible loss  of  a  good  permanent  place,  just  for 
a  few  weeks'  time." 

"But,  Mrs.  Hughes,"  said  the  Sprightly  Lady, 
with  an  unusually  serious  face,  "  a  mistress 
may  not  know  whether  or  not  her  place  will 
be  permanent.  If  her  regular  servant  has 
gone  off  on  a  vacation,  she  can't  be  sure  she  '11 
return." 

"  That  is  true  ;  but  if  she  is  wishing  her  to 
return,  and  hoping  that  she  will,  she  does  very 


1 66  THE  BIDDY  CLUB. 

wrong  to  engage  a  girl  without  telling  her  of 
the  circumstances." 

"  I  guess  she  would  n't  get  any  girl  if  she 
did,"  said  the  Practical  Person. 

"And  that  ought,  in  itself,  to  be  sufficient  to 
prove  the  dishonesty  of  withholding  the  informa- 
tion. When  we  gain  any  advantage  by  keeping 
back  facts  that  bear  upon  it  closely, — facts  which 
would,  if  known,  prevent  the  transaction  from 
being  made,  —  we  are  acting  dishonorably.  We 
might  as  well  withhold  the  fact  of  a  doubtful  title 
on  a  piece  of  land  we  were  trying  to  sell,  on  the 
ground  that  we  could  not  otherwise  get  rid  of  it, 
and  then  expect  to  be  considered  honest,  as  to 
withhold  from  a  servant  we  are  trying  to  engage 
the  fact  that  the  place  she  supposes  may  be  com- 
paratively permanent  is  in  all  probability  tem- 
porary. Let  us  turn  the  tables,  and  see  how 
the  matter  will  look,  for  we  are  all  so  selfish  that 
we  see  justice  and  right  more  clearly  when  we 
are  the  claimants.  Suppose  we  engage  a  girl 
in  good  faith,  and  after  a  few  weeks,  just  as  we 
have  accustomed  her  to  her  duties,  and  are  be- 
ginning to  rest  from  our  labors,  we  are  told  that 
she  is  going  back  to  her  old  place ;  that  the 
family  have  been  out  of  town,  and  she  had  only 
come  to  us  so  as  to  be  earning  something  during 
their  absence.  Would  we  not  be  indignant  with 
her  .''     And  would  we  not  immediately  exclaim, 


HONOR  ABOVE  AND  BELOW  STAIRS.    167 

'  Why  did  n't  you  tell  me  this  ?  You  knew  I 
would  never  have  engaged  you  for  a  few  weeks!' 
I  have  no  doubt  that  the  very  ladies  who  them- 
selves are  capable  of  such  conduct  would  be 
quite  outraged  if  thus  treated,  and  would  inveigh 
against  these  'lying  domestics,' — for  certainly 
a  lie  acted  equals  a  lie  spoken,  and  so  they 
would  consider." 

"But,  Mrs.  Hughes,  do  you  think  a  lady  ought 
to  do  without  help  while  her  servant  takes  a 
vacation  ?  "  asked  a  Silent  Member. 

"  Certainly,  if  she  cannot  honestly  obtain 
help  ;  but  I  think  that  she  can.  I  have  for  years 
been  in  the  habit  of  giving  my  servants  vaca- 
tions, and  I  have  had  but  little  trouble  in  obtain- 
ing substitutes.  They  generally  see  to  this,  and 
sometimes  a  friend,  not  ordinarily  living  out, 
takes  the  place  ;  and  sometimes  it  is  a  girl  just 
arrived  in  the  city.  They  almost  always  con- 
trive to  find  some  one,  if  need  be,  who  is  willing 
to  come  for  a  few  weeks." 

"  To  recur  to  the  shop-girls  again,  Mrs. 
Hughes,"  said  Dolly,  "  I  think  that  they  might 
find  places  as  congenial  to  their  sense  of  dig- 
nity as  the  shop,  and  better  for  their  health  and 
purse.  There  are  a  large  number  of  families, 
in  the  middle  class,  whose  means  would  not  allow 
them  to  pay  high  wages  to  servants.  I  should 
think  that  in  such  houses  bright  shop-girls  might 


i-ONG  BEACH  .r^rrrr 


1 68  THE  BIDDY  CLUB. 

find  real  homes,  where  by  joining  with  the  mis- 
tress in  doing  the  work  they  could  receive  as 
much  as  two  dollars  and  a  half  a  week,  and  at 
the  same  time  enjoy  the  privileges  of  the  mem- 
bers of  the  family." 

"  Undoubtedly  such  arrangements  are  often 
made,  and  it  is  a  pity  they  are  not  still  more 
common,  for  they  would  greatly  lighten  the  cares 
of  housekeepers,  and  provide  healthful  occupa- 
tion, small  wages,  and  pleasant  homes  for  a  large 
class  of  working-girls.  In  the  article  I  men- 
tioned reading  this  morning,  the  writer  speaks 
as  if  almost  all  the  shop-girls  in  Chicago  lived 
at  their  own  homes,  where  they  had  no  board  to 
pay,  and  where  they  enjoyed  all  the  comforts 
and  privileges  of  petted  members  of  a  small 
but  comfortable  household.  The  picture  was 
quite  alluring,  but  I  doubt  its  fidelity.  It  is  pos- 
sible, barely  possible,  that  Chicago  is  exception- 
able in  this  respect  ;  but  in  other  cities  we  too 
often  hear  a  cry  of  overworked  and  underpaid 
shop-girls,  who  are  driven  to  crime  for  mere  sup- 
port, and  some  of  us  have  learned,  in  our  chari- 
table work,  how  much  truth  there  is  in  this 
terrible  cry.  It  is  to  such  girls  that  the  doors 
of  families  of  moderate  means  and  medium  po- 
sition could  open  and  admit  them  to  a  happy 
refuge.  And  my  earnest  advice  to  girls  who 
are  not  able  to  earn  a  respectable  support  in 


HONOR  ABOVE  AND  BELOW  STAIRS.    1 69 

stores,  and  also  to  those  who  find  the  confine- 
ment injurious  to  health,  is  to  learn  house- 
work, and  make  themselves  invaluable  in  the 
family  of  some  good  woman  who  needs  just 
such  assistance." 

"There's  another  wrong  thing  ladies  do," 
said  the  Sprightly  Lady,  "  and  while  we  are  ar- 
raigning the  poor  things,  we  might  just  as  well 
mention  everything.  They  often  engage  two  or 
three  servants  for  the  same  place,  thinking  that 
if  the  first  fails  to  keep  her  engagement,  the 
next  may  come." 

"  Yes,"  replied  Mrs.  Hughes  ;  "  I  once  knew 
a  woman  who  considered  herself  a  Christian 
lady,  who  did  such  a  thing.  She  said  that  the 
unreliability  of  the  servants  had  driven  her  to 
it,  and  that  she  was  obliged  to  protect  herself.  I 
confess  I  am  unable  to  understand  the  peculiar 
construction  of  the  intellect  of  any  such  woman  ; 
and  as  for  her  conscience,  it  —  " 

"  Must  be  made  of  old  shoe-leather,"  said  the 
Sprightly  Lady. 

"  Mrs.  Hughes,  what  do  you  think  of  a 
lady  searching  a  servant's  trunk .'' "  asked 
Dolly. 

"  Let  me  ask  a  question,"  was  Mrs.  Hughes's 
answer.  "  What  do  you  think  of  a  servant 
searching  a  lady's  trunk }  " 

"Fortunately,"  observed  the  Millionnaire,  with 


170  THE  BIDDY  CLUB. 

a  satisfied  smile,  "we  are  not  called  upon  to  con- 
sider such  a  monstrosity." 

"I  think  you  are  mistaken,"  said  Mrs.  Hughes, 
in  those  chillingly  polite  tones  that  made  me 
look  about  me  for  my  spring  overcoat.  "I  once 
knew  of  a  servant  doing  just  such  a  thing. 
She  was  dismissed,  and  on  packing  her  trunk 
she  missed  a  nightgown,  and  later  one  of  the 
family  found  her  looking  through  her  mistress's 
closets  and  bureau-drawers  for  it." 

"  What  an  outrage  !  "  murmured  the  Imita- 
tion Millionnaire. 

"  So  the  family  thought,  though  there  was  no 
pretence  about  the  girl's  loss ;  she  had  really 
missed  the  gown,  for  several  weeks  later  the 
next  servant  found  it  somewhere  in  the  room. 
Her  mistress  loudly  condemned  her  impudence; 
and  yet  that  very  woman  had  again  and  again 
searched  the  trunks  and  drawers  of  her  servants 
when  they  were  out." 

"  Oh,  that 's  quite  a  different  thing !  "  said  the 
Millionnaire. 

"  Yes  ;  but  different  only  as  regards  the  per- 
sons who  do  it,"  said  Mrs.  Hughes.  "  The 
two  acts  are  one  in  their  injustice  and  wrong. 
The  trunk  of  a  servant  and  her  personal  ward- 
robe are  as  strictly  private  property  as  any- 
thing her  mistress  can  possess,  and  to  intrude 
upon   her   privacy   without    her    knowledge   or 


HONOR  ABOVE  AND  BELOW  STAIRS.    1/  I 

permission  is  an  outrage  against  justice  and 
right." 

"  Pray,  Mrs.  Hughes,  what  is  a  lady  to  do  if 
she  misses  articles  and  suspects  her  servants  ?  " 
asked  the  Imitation  Millionnaire. 

"As  far  as  I  am  concerned,  I  should  be  veiy 
slow  to  suspect  a  servant.  Her  character  is  h<'r 
all,  and  I  should  feel  very  tenderly  toward  it.  I 
have  several  times  known  articles  in  my  house 
to  be  missing  for  a  long  time, — once  it  was 
almost  a  year,  and  I  had  made  such  search  that 
I  could  have  taken  an  oath  in  court  that  they 
were  not  upon  the  premises,  —  and  yet,  after  a)l, 
they  turned  up  in  some  most  unexpected  placj. 
Twice,  the  circumstantial  evidence  was  vei  y 
strong  against  some  servant  I  had  at  the  tim?. 
But  when  the  articles  were  found,  long  after  I 
had  ceased  to  look  for  them,  I  assure  you  I  wis 
more  than  thankful  that  never,  by  word  or  look, 
had  I  intimated  to  these  servants  a  suspicion  of 
their  honesty.  One  should  have,  I  think,  many 
and  excellent  proofs  before  impeaching  the  char- 
acter of  a  servant.  But  if  a  lady  has  reasonable 
cause  to  believe  a  girl  dishonest,  and  thinks  she 
would  be  likely  to  find  stolen  goods  about  her, 
then  she  should  send  for  the  proper  officer  to 
make  a  search.  If  I  were  the  lady,  I  should  still 
attempt  to  spare  and  save  the  girl.  I  should 
not  let  the  officer  see  her  until  I  had  talked  with 


1/2  THE  BIDDY  CLUB. 

her.  I  should  tell  her  he  had  come,  and  that  if 
she  was  unwilling  to  let  me  make  the  search,  I 
should  call  him  to  do  it.  In  most  cases  the  girl 
would  be  terrified  at  the  thought  of  an  officer's 
presence,  and  would  greatly  prefer  to  have  her 
mistress  make  the  search.  If  I  found  nothino; 
suspicious,  I  should  dismiss  the  man  without 
letting  him  see  the  girl.  I  think  I  should  do 
that  anyhow,  unless  the  case  was  a  very  aggra- 
vated one ;  for  the  very  pity  I  showed  in  this 
respect,  and  my  desire  to  shield  her  from  shame, 
might  help  me  to  save  her." 

"  What  else  that 's  naughty  do  mistresses 
do  } "  asked  the  Sprightly  Lady,  "  Give  it  to 
'em  !  give  it  to  'em  !  I  thirst  for  a  recital  of 
iniquities." 

"  I  am  afraid  I  cannot  gratify  you  further  to- 
day ;  not  for  lack  of  material,  but  because  I  am 
just  now  occupied  with  my  own  sin  of  having 
'detained  you  all  again." 

With  this  the  meeting  adjourned,  and  I  sought 
Dolly  at  once  to  question  her,  assuring  her  that 
I  would  shut  her  up  in  the  back  parlor  if  I  learned 
that  she  had  ever  done  any  of  those  very  repre- 
hensible things  I  had  heard  discussed. 


BRAINS  IN  HOUSEKEEPING.  173 


CHAPTER   XL 

BRAINS    IN    HOUSEKEEPING. 

UPON  the  next  assemblage  of  the  Club,  Mrs. 
Hughes's  face  wore  an  expressive  smile, 
the  meaning  of  which  she  soon  explained. 

"  I  have  been  wondering  this  morning,"  she 
said,  "  if  we  do  not  want  our  servants  to  be 
perfect." 

"  Not  I !  "  exclaimed  the  Sprightly  Lady.  "  I 
don't  want  anybody  in  the  kitchen  so  much 
better  than  poor  Billy  and  L" 

"  No,"  said  the  Practical  Person,  more  quietly, 
"  I  don't  think  we  want  them  to  be  perfect." 

Then  the  smile  on  Mrs.  Hughes's  face  broad- 
ened, and  became  still  more  expressive. 

"  It  would  be  interesting,  then,"  she  said,  "  to 
decide  upon  the  faults  we  prefer." 

This  observation  caused  a  deep  silence  to 
fall  upon  the  unusually  animated  Club  ;  and 
as  the  silence  seemed  likely  to  remain  other- 
wise unbroken,  Mrs.  Hughes  continued  her 
remarks. 

"  Let  us  choose  uncleanliness,"  she  said. 


174  THE  BIDDY  CLUB. 

This  brought  down  upon  the  speaker  a  storm 
of  dissent. 

"  By  no  means  !  "  exclaimed  the  Practical  Per- 
son, when  the  chorus  was  stilled.  "  That  is  about 
the  worst  fault  a  servant  can  have.  One  can  do 
nothing  with  a  dirty  girl." 

"Well,  then,  let  it  be  sloth,"  suggested  Mrs. 
Hughes. 

But  no,  that  would  not  do;  she  would  never 
accomplish  her  work.  Better  an  ugly  temper,  a 
lack  of  system,  a  disposition  to  run  out  too  much. 
Mrs.  Hughes  was  accommodating,  for  when 
any  particular  fault  would  not  do  she  immedi- 
ately had  another  to  offer  ;  but  one  by  one  they 
were  rejected,  until  even  her  long  list  was  at  an 
end.  Then  it  was  that  the  smile  I  had  first 
noted  assumed  its  broadest  and  most  meaning 
aspect. 

"  Ladies,"  she  said,  "  in  future  let  us  always 
be  careful  to  choose  perfect  maids." 

The  Practical  Person  laughed. 

"  I  will  confess  now,"  she  said,  "  that  I  would 
like  to,  though  at  first  I  did  n't  think  so.  But 
I  've  no  doubt  that  all  the  servants  I  ever  get 
will  have  plenty  of  faults,  and  I  shall  not  have 
much  to  do  in  choosing  them." 

"  Now,  that  is  just  where  I  hope  you  will 
permit  me  to  differ  from  you,"  exclaimed 
Mrs.  Hughes,  with  more  animation   than  usual. 


BRALVS  IN  HOUSEKEEPING.  1/5 

"  Some  one  was  once  asking  me  about  the  choice 
of  a  servant,  and  I  spoke  of  some  virtues  for 
which  I  always  looked.  Now,  I  may  add  that 
I  always  deliberately  make  a  choice  of  faults. 
I,  too,  would  like  perfect  servants  ;  but  —  " 

"  They  don't  grow,"  interrupted  the  Sprightly 
Lady. 

"  No,"  continued  Mrs.  Hughes  ;  "  and  since 
they  must  have  faults,  I  want  to  have  some 
choice  in  these.  For  instance,  I  have  found 
that  a  quick,  energetic,  systematic  girl  may 
make  an  excellent  kitchen  servant  with  proper 
management,  even  though  she  have  a  hot  tem- 
per ;  but  it  is  almost  impossible  for  her  to 
become  a  good  nurse.  The  work  of  a  nurse 
is  necessarily  subject  to  manifold  interruptions 
and  upheavals,  and  requires  endless  patience. 
Although  a  girl  in  this  position  is  the  better 
for  some  system,  yet  she  cannot  arrange  her 
work  as  she  could  in  the  kitchen  ;  and  if  she 
tries  to  do  this,  and  go  through  it  quickly  and 
undeviatingly,  she  is  sure  to  have  her  patience 
overwhelmed  sooner  or  later." 

"  I  have  learned  that,"  said  Dolly.  "  I  once 
had  a  cook  who  rarely  ever  had  a  meal  on  time. 
She  was  slow  and  unsystematic ;  but  she  was 
so  faithful,  respectable,  and  sensible,  that  I 
hated  to  give  her  up.  I  tried  every  way  for 
four    months,  —  pushing    and    arranging,  —  but 


176  THE  BIDDY  CLUB. 

nothing  would  do.  At  last  I  hit  upon  a  happy 
thought.  I  persuaded  her  to  go  into  my  nur- 
sery ;  and  she  is  there  to-day,  —  one  of  the 
best  nurses  I  ever  had.  She  is  never  out  of 
patience  ;  and  by  slowly  but  steadily  pursuing 
her  way  she  accomplishes  a  great  deal  of  sew- 
ing, besides  caring  faithfully  for  the  children. 
She  is  more  under  my  eye  in  the  nursery,  and 
by  some  management  she  has  learned  to  be  as 
systematic  as  her  work  will  permit  ;  about  the 
children's  hours  of  feeding,  and  so  forth,  she  is 
very  regular,  and  she  has  opportunity  to  rest 
her  nature  for  this  unnatural  effort  between 
times." 

"  My  own  experience  causes  me  heartily  to 
endorse  the  lesson  taught  by  this  instance," 
said  Mrs.  Hughes.  "  There  are,  of  course, 
some  faults  which  we  would  never  choose  and 
should  never  tolerate  ;  but  it  is  undoubtedly 
true  that  a  trait  of  character  which  is  a  fault 
in  one  position  becomes  a  virtue  in  another. 
Aside  from  this  very  delightful  and  unman- 
ageable class  of  failings,  there  is  another  class 
which  may  at  least  be  modified  by  their  situ- 
ation, —  that  is  to  say,  some  faults  are  more 
bearable,  or  less  annoying,  in  one  situation  than 
in  another ;  and  if  we  think  of  all  this  when 
we  are  selecting  a  servant,  we  shall  be  more 
likely  to  find  we  have  the  right  woman  ia  the 


BRAINS  IN  HOUSEKEEPING.  1 77 

right  place  than  if  we  are  careless  of  such 
matters." 

"  Mrs.  Hughes,  don't  you  think  that  most  of 
us  would  have  to  buy  an  extra  supply  of  brains 
before  we  could  do  all  you  suggest?"  asked  the 
Sprightly  Person. 

"  I  have  always  tried  to  prove  to  unbelievers 
that  housekeeping  is  brain-work,  if  properly 
conducted.  Indeed,  it  is  quite  a  scientific 
occupation." 

"  Please,  ma'am,  what  is  to  become  of  those  of 
us  whose  brains  were  omitted  in  our  general 
make-up } "  said  the  Sprightly  Lady,  drawing 
down  her  face. 

"  I  think  yoii  have  no  need  to  ask  that  ques- 
tion," Mrs.  Hughes  replied,  with  a  laugh.  It 
was  quite  evident  that  she  agreed  with  me  in 
an  admiration  for  the  Sprightly  Person.  "  There 
are,  however,  many  women,  as  there  are  many 
men,  unable  to  do  justice  to  any  occupation 
calling  for  much  intellect  ;  and  if  these  people 
keep  house  they  will  have  to  do  their  best,  but 
they  can  never  reach  the  results  that  will  reward 
the  more  intellectual  worker.  But  it  is  my  be- 
lief that  the  large  majority  of  women  could  do 
far  better  in  this  work  than  they  are  now  doing, 
and  consequently  enjoy  far  greater  advantages. 
Take  this  servant  question,  which,  in  most  fam- 
ilies lies  at  the  very  root  of  success  or  failure  in 

12 


178  THE  BIDDY  CLUB. 

housekeeping.  Let  a  woman  use  her  brains,  and 
if  they  are  small  cultivate  them.  Let  her  choose 
and  adapt  wisely,  and  the  battle  is  half  won." 

"  I  think  system  has  much  to  do  with  good 
housekeeping,"  said  the  Practical  Person. 

"  It  undoubtedly  has.  There  are  many  people 
to-day  who  have  the  reputation  of  being  devoted 
housewives  and  mothers,  —  women  who  are 
thought  to  have  an  immense  amount  of  work  on 
hand,  and  who  are  pitied  for  their  severe  labors 
and  admired  for  their  self-sacrifices,  —  who  are 
very  little  more  than  unsystematic  and  ignorant 
persons." 

"That  sounds  rather  severe,  Mrs.  Hughes," 
said  a  Silent  Member  ;  and  I  made  a  mental 
note  to  the  effect  that  this  rather  tight  shoe 
was  pinching  the  lady. 

"  It  does,  indeed,"  Mrs.  Hughes  replied  ;  "  but 
when  you  see  one  woman  labor  hard  and  spread 
over  an  entire  day  work  that  another  accom- 
plishes without  much  effort  in  a  few  hours, 
what  else  can  you  think } " 

"  You  can  scarcely  compare  the  housework  of 
any  two  women,"  said  the  Practical  Person. 

"  Not  exactly,  to  be  sure ;  but  you  can  do  so 
to  a  certain  extent.  I  know  a  lady  who  has 
seven  children.  She  is  an  attentive  wife  and 
mother,  and  engages  in  many  social  pleasures 
in  addition  to  keeping  a  house,  and  yet  she  finds 


BRAINS  IN  HOUSEKEEPING.  179 

much  more  time  for  reading  than  another  lady 
whom  I  also  know,  who  has  but  one  child  and 
boards." 

"  I  wish  I  knew  how  to  systematize  my  work," 
sighed  a  Silent  Lady. 

"  One  has  to  study  to  learn  that,"  said  Mrs. 
Hughes.  "  One  secret  is,  I  think,  in  the  matter 
of  choice,  I  have  read  that  conversation  is 
merely  a  fine  selection,  and  system  is  largely 
composed  of  the  same  element.  One  cannot 
attend  to  everything.  Housework  should,  like 
the  business  in  a  store,  be  divided  into  depart- 
ments, and  servants  should  be  trained  and  re- 
quired to  take  charge  of  certain  of  these,  and 
be  held  responsible  for  their  proper  care," 

"  Children  are  what  require  the  most  time," 
said  the  Practical  Person. 

"  Yes,  and  very  properly  ;  but  children  receive 
a  great  deal  of  unnecessary  care,  and  lack  much 
that  is  necessary.  If  we  examined  into  the 
matter,  I  think  we  should  find  that  the  majority 
of  mothers  spend  more  time  upon  the  clothing 
of  their  children  than  upon  their  minds." 

"  But  our  children  must  be  clothed,"  urged 
the  Practical  Person. 

"  Yes,"  said  the  Sprightly  Lady,  "  unless  we 
remove  to  that  pleasant  clime  in  which  I  once 
read  of  a  planter's  small  son  who  was  decked 
for  company  in  a  straw  hat  and  a  cane," 


l8o  THE  BIDDY  CLUB. 

"Yes,  they  must  be  clothed,"  said  Mrs.  Hughes. 
"  But  we  have  all  learned  that  there  are  clothes 
and  clothes.  It  was  always  my  effort,  in  making 
my  children's  garments,  to  learn  of  the  easiest 
possible  styles  that  would  be  pretty ;  for  I  do  not 
believe  in  mortifying  a  little  one's  flesh  and 
spirit  by  homely  clothing.  Then  I  taught  my 
children  to  be  very  careful  of  what  they  wore, 
and  in  this  way  to  preserve  their  clothes  a  long 
time.  That  is  a  useful  lesson  for  the  character 
of  a  child,  boy  or  girl,  as  well  as  useful  for  one's 
time." 

"  But  I  don't  think  you  can  expect  children  to 
sit  still  continually,"  said  a  Silent  Member. 

"  Why,  no  ;  I  am  sure  mine  did  not,  but  for 
their  rough-and-tumble  play  they  had  very  strong, 
plainly-made  clothes,  and  these  they  changed  for 
something  prettier  later  in  the  day,  when  their 
most  boisterous  play  was-  ended.  Children  can 
run  about  a  great  deal,  be  very  lively,  and  have 
a  good  time,  without  injuring  nice  clothes.  Of 
course,  when  it  comes  to  climbing  fences  and 
trees  and  wrestling,  they  ought  to  wear  some- 
thing pretty  strong." 

"That,  fortunately,  does  not  apply  to  httle 
girls,"  sighed  the  Imitation  Millionnaire. 

"It  applied  to  my  little  girls,"  said  Mrs. 
Hughes.  "  They  were  always  allowed  and  en- 
couraged to  engage  in  active  sports." 


BRAINS  IN  HOUSEKEEPING.  l8l 

"  Mrs.  Hughes,"  said  Dolly,  "  I  wish  you  would 
please  give  us  an  outline  of  your  day." 

"  Perhaps  I  had  better  give  you  an  outline  of 
my  day  a  few  years  back,  for  I  am  a  little  farther 
along  in  my  housekeeping  experiences  than  most 
of  you,  and  as  a  woman's  children  grow  older 
she  has  to  alter  her  plans.  When  I  had  but 
one  baby  I  had  a  great  deal  of  time.  Our 
means  then  would  not  admit  of  much  com- 
pany. We  entertained  often,  but  not  formally; 
our  friends  dropped  in  occasionally  and  were 
made  at  home.  I  had  a  nurse  whom  I  trained 
carefully ;  and  excepting  the  time  required  to 
superintend  my  housework,  I  had  almost  the 
entire  day  to  myself,  for  Mr.  Hughes  did  not 
come  home  to  luncheon.  I  taught  my  nurse 
needlework,  and  she  did  all  the  sewing  of  the 
family,  and  all  except  the  finest  mending,  which 
I  did  evenings  while  talking  with  my  husband 
or  listening  as  he  read  aloud.  I  had  my  own 
particular  little  room  in  which  I  painted ;  and 
then,  as  the  smell  of  the  paint  is  apt  to  be  some- 
what injurious,  I  studied  and  read  in  another 
room ;  but  I  was  alone  when  I  worked,  and  the 
servants  did  not  disturb  me  unnecessarily." 

"  They  must  have  had  a  good  time,  all  alone 
through  the  day,"  said  the  Practical  Person. 

"  They  were  not  alone  very  long  at  a  time," 
replied  Mrs.  Hughes,  quietly,     "  My  nurse  sat  in 


1 82  THE  BIDDY  CLUB. 

the  nursery,  and  was  near  at  hand,  and  every  half- 
hour  or  so  I  used  to  step  in  there  to  see  if  all  was 
well,  and  have  a  few  minutes'  romp  with  my  baby.. 
Then  I  used  to  take  occasional  excursions 
through  my  little  house,  during  the  day,  and  as 
the  servants  never  knew  when  I  was  coming, 
they  had  little  chance  to  deceive  me,  even  if  they 
had  been  so  inclined ;  but  I  never  kept  servants 
who  would  wilfully  disobey  or  deceive  me." 

"  That  might  work  very  well  if  the  children 
were  not  sickly,"  said  the  Practical  Person. 

"  You  can  prevent  children  from  being  sickly," 
said  Dolly. 

"  Certainly,"  said  Mrs.  Hughes,  "  and  should 
do  so.  Parents  hav^e  no  right  to  bring  a  sickly 
child  into  the  world  ;  and  when  a  child  is  born 
healthy,  he  will  continue  so  most  of  the  time  if 
he  is  properly  fed  and  cared  for.  But  all  that 
belongs  more  strictly  to  the  subject  of  chil- 
dren, and  we  must  not  encroach  upon  it  in  this 
Club.  I  only  diverged  a  moment,  to  explain 
that  my  children  were  seldom  away  from  my 
care  for  an  hour,  whether  indoors  or  out.  When 
they  took  their  exercise,  I  had  them  kept  near  at 
hand,  unless  I  sent  the  nurse  off  on  an  errand 
with  them.  I  always  knew  where  they  were. 
When  I  had  more  than  one  child,  and  the  oldest 
was  between  two  and  three,  I  began  spending 
more  time  with  them.     Then  my  plan  of  work 


DRAINS  IN  HOUSEKEEPING.  183 

was  something  like  this  :  I  rose  at  half-past  six 
in  winter,  and  six  in  summer.  Until  half-past 
nine  I  saw  to  my  household,  looking  over  the 
stores,  giving  orders  and  directions  for  any  ex- 
tra duties,  attending  to  my  accounts,  and  in  gen- 
eral running  over  my  entire  housework  for  the 
day.  I  am  naturally  slow,  I  think,  but  I  forced 
myself  to  learn  celerity,  and  I  managed  to  de- 
spatch a  great  deal  in  that  time.  I  gave  my 
whole  attention  to  it,  and  let  nothing  unneces- 
sary distract  me.  At  half-past  nine  I  retired  to 
my  room  and  had  an  hour  and  a  half  of  intellect- 
ual work.  Then  from  eleven  until  one  I  was  with 
my  children,  most  of  the  time  outdoors.  At  that 
period  I  often  did  my  marketing.  I  never  went 
far  for  this,  for  I  did  not  think  the  pennies  saved 
atoned  for  the  time  lost ;  and  time  has  always 
been  of  great  value  in  my  eyes.  When  I  was 
with  my  children  I  joined  in  their  games,  and 
talked  to  them  as  improvingly  and  interestingly 
as  my  own  information  would  permit  me  to  do. 
And  I  may  here  remark  that  I  was  led  to  study 
many  of  the  natural  sciences  that  I  might  have 
something  of  account  to  tell  my  children  when 
we  were  together.  At  one  o'clock  they  were 
put  to  bed  for  a  two-hours'  nap,  and  I  lay  down 
for  an  hour ;  then  I  had  three  hours  to  my- 
self before  I  again  took  them.  Sometimes  the 
older  one  would  have  a  book,  and  sit  quietly 


1 84  THE  BIDDY  CLUB. 

with  me  for  a  while  in  the  afternoon.  At  six 
we  dined." 

"  Well,"  said  the  Sprightly  Lady  with  a  great 
sigh,  "  I  am  so  thankful  you  have  at  last  seated 
yourself  to  eat  something  !  You  must  be  almost 
starved  ! " 

"  Oh,  no,"  said  Mrs.  Hughes,  laughing.  "  I 
ate  before  six,  but  really  our  dinner  was  the  only 
meal  of  the  day  that  occupied  much  time.  We 
have  always  dressed  for  dinner,  and  taken  it 
very  leisurely.  Generally  we  finished  it  by 
drinking  our  coffee  in  the  library.  We  fre- 
quently had  a  friend  to  dinner." 

"  This,"  said  the  Millionnaire,  "  is  the  first  men- 
tion of  a  social  nature  we  have  heard.  Did  you 
never  make  or  receive  calls  .'* " 

"  Very  seldom  ;  I  lost  but  little  time  or  strength 
for  the  visiting  around  in  which  so  many  women 
indulge.  Most  of  our  evenings  were  devoted  to 
social  pleasures,  but  neither  my  husband  nor  my- 
self had  much  daylight  to  spare.  I  was  talking 
awhile  ago  with  a  friend  whose  mind  is  decid- 
edly intellectual,  albeit  the  illness  of  her  husband 
and  herself  has  prevented  her,  until  lately,  from 
indulging  her  tastes.  Just  now  there  is  nothing 
of  that  kind  to  claim  her  time,  and  as  she  has 
no  children,  and  is  living  for  the  present  with  a 
married  sister,  she  ought  to  be  able  to  command 
much  leisure.     But  unhappily  the  sister  has  two 


BRALXS  IN  HOUSEKEEPING.  1 85 

children,  who  have  been  trained  indeed,  but 
trained  to  require  most  of  the  time  of  those 
around  them  ;  and,  still  more  unfortunately,  she 
has  a  neighbor,  who,  as  she  told  me,  was  in  the 
habit  of  running  in  almost  daily  and  sitting  for 
two  or  three  hours." 

"  Setting,  I  should  call  that  !  "  said  the 
Sprightly  Lady. 

Even  Mrs.  Hughes's  elegance  could  not  re- 
strain her  smile. 

"  Yes,"  she  replied,  "it  has  occurred  to  me  at 
times,  that  for  some  women  to  say  they  were 
going  in  to  set  with  a  neighbor  was  not,  after  all, 
as  ungrammatical  as  would  at  first  appear.  I  am 
sure  I  cannot  tell  why  women  of  a  higher  class 
and  higher  aims  permit  anything  of  the  kind." 

"  Oh,  wfell,  Mrs.  Hughes,"  said  the  Practical 
Person,  "  sometimes  one's  neighbors  are  kindly 
people,  who  like  to  run  in  and  out  freely,  and 
one  does  not  want  to  be  disagreeable  to  them." 

"  It  is  a  peculiar  and  unfortunate  feature  of 
social  life  in  villages,  towns,  and  even  new  or 
small  cities,  I  believe,  but  I  see  no  reason  for  en- 
couraging it.  I  believe  in  kindness  to  everybody  ; 
but  I  think  kindness  has  nothing  to  do  with  this 
matter,  for  I  know  of  no  good  gained  on  either 
side  by  these  gossiping  hours,  and  certainly  there 
is  a  loss  of  much  time  that  should  be  valuable  to 
both.     If  a  neighbor  were  in  any  trouble  and  I 


1 86  THE  BIDDY  CLUB. 

could  be  of  help,  I  would  go,  by  all  means,  and 
stay  as  long  as  my  home  duties  would  possibly 
permit.  Ever  since  I  began  my  housekeeping 
in  a  tiny  cottage,  I  have  lived  on  pleasant  terms 
with  my  neighbors,  but  we  have  never  run  back 
and  forth.  I  think  that  possibly  I  may  have 
been  called  odd  by  them." 

"'A  crank'  is  the  favorite  term,"  suggested 
Dolly. 

'*'  Well,  even  'crank'  would  not  have  frightened 
me ;  but  as  I  never  gossiped  with  any  one,  I 
failed  to  learn  what  my  neighbors  thought  of 
me,  and  there  was  never  anything  unpleasant 
in  their  greetings  when  I  met  them." 

"But,  Mrs.  Hughes,  everybody  knew  that  you 
were  an  artist,  and  so  they  excused  you  from 
making  calls,"  said  a  Silent  Member. 

"  They  would  have  had  to  excuse  me  even  if 
I  had  no  such  occupation,  for  long  ago  I  became 
convinced  that  the  time  spent  in  making  and 
receiving  calls  was  almost  all  wasted.  In  one 
of  his  essays,  Emerson  says  that  no  call  ought 
to  exceed  ten  minutes  except  by  special  invita- 
tion ;  I  would  go  a  step  farther,  and  abolish 
most  of  the  calls  now  made  in  what  is  consid- 
ered society.  Who  ever  saw  a  lady  who  did 
not  count  the  paying  of  calls  a  disagreeable 
duty,  and  who  did  not  often  hope  the  acquaint- 
ances she  was  apparently  striving  to  meet  would 


BRAIXS  LV  HOUSEKEEPING.  1 8/ 

be  away  from  home  ?  Such  a  thing  is  hollow, 
false,  and  it  ought  to  be  abolished.  Life  is  too 
short,  too  real,  for  such  sham,  and  time  too 
precious  for  such  waste." 

"  I  fear  you  are  a  social  fiend,  Mrs.  Hughes  ; 
this  strikes  me  as  a  new  and  alarming  phase 
of  socialism.  I  shall  look  out  for  a  bomb  under 
my  chair  the  next  time  I  go  to  your  house," 
said  the  Sprightly  One,  holding  up  her  hands 
in  mock  horror. 

"  I  really  think,  Mrs.  Hughes,"  said  the  Imi- 
'tation  Millionnaire,  with  a  fashionable  air  of 
superiority,  "  that  if  these  ideas  were  carried 
out  they  would  abolish  society." 

"Possibly  so,"  said  Mrs.  Hughes,  "though  I 
am  not  sure  they  are  forcible  enough  to  ac- 
complish quite  so  much  good.  This  is  no  place 
to  enter  into  a  prolonged  discussion  of  social 
subjects,  and  I  have  already  digressed.  I  was 
trying,  however,  to  explain  why  I  always  found 
time  for  my  own  education  and  also  that  of  my 
children,  although  I  was  a  housekeeper.  I  saved 
not  only  time,  but  also  money,  by  abstaining 
from  society  so  called,  and  I  put  the  extra  money 
on  my  service,  and  it  has  repaid  me  tenfold." 

"  Well,  Owen  Meredith  says  one  may  live 
without  love,  so  he  has  something  to  eat  ;  but 
he  expresses  it  a  trifle  differently,  I  believe," 
said  the  Sprightly  One. 


J 88  THE  BIDDY  CLUB. 

"  Ah  !  but  I  did  not  live  without  love,  even 
of  a  social  kind,"  said  Mrs.  Hughes.  "  I  had  a 
few  intimate  lady  friends  with  whom  I  some- 
times walked  when  I  took  my  children  out,  and 
then  we  rarely  sat  down  to  dinner  alone  ;  indeed, 
the  stroke  of  six  might  be  said  to  have  sounded 
the  tocsin  for  social  delights.  Some  evenings 
Mr.  Hughes  and  I  kept  for  ourselves,  and  we 
read,  studied,  played,  and  talked  together  at 
home,  or  went  out,  as  we  felt  inclined  ;  but  gen- 
erally, with  the  exception  of  an  hour  I  have  al- 
ways taken  for  reading  after  dinner,  we  spent 
the  entire  evening  socially  ;  and  most  delightful 
has  this  mode  of  life  proved.  Music,  reading 
aloud,  and  conversation  have  made  the  hours 
all  too  short.  One  evening  a  week,  as  you  know, 
we  have  taken  for  our  reception-night,  and  a 
great  many  of  our  friends  always  come  in  then." 

"But  when  do  you  return  all  those  calls?" 
asked  the  Imitation  Millionnaire. 

"  Never  !  "  said  the  Sprightly  Lady,  "  She 
has  n't  been  to  my  house  in  a  year." 

"  No,  I  could  never  look  upon  a  call  as  a  debt 
to  be  paid.  We  call  upon  all  our  friends  once 
in  a  while,  but  we  cannot  go  to  each  house  very 
often,  as  we  have  quite  a  large  circle.  But  I 
never  hesitate  about  going  to  a  friend's  because 
I  happen  to  remember  that  I  have  been  there 
several  times  since  she  came  to  see  me.     If  I 


BRA /AS  IX  HOUSEKEEPING.  1 89 

have  the  time  and  the  wish,  I  go,  without  casting 
up  accounts  with  her  first.  A  large  number  of 
our  friends  are,  and  always  have  been,  young 
ladies  and  gentlemen,  and  they  keep  no  calling 
accounts  with  us." 

"  I  should  think  there  would  be  danger,  how- 
ever, Mrs.  Hughes,"  said  the  Imitation  Million- 
naire,  gravely,  "that  such  a  very  independent 
course  would  cut  you  ofT  from  all  invitations 
from  the  better,  more  fashionable  class." 

"  It  does  from  the  fashionable,  but  not  from 
the  better  class.  Mr.  Hughes  and  I  rarely  have 
an  invitation  to  a  large  party  or  reception,  and 
still  more  rarely  go.  But  little  dinners  of  six, 
eight,  and  ten  people,  invited  to  meet  some  in- 
teresting artist,  actor,  or  lecturer,  we  often  at- 
tend, and  also  give,  now  that  our  means  permit 
us  to  do  so.  Indeed,  we  began  giving  little  din- 
ners of  this  kind  years  ago,  when  we  were  far 
from  wealthy." 

The  Imitation  Millionnaire  bit  her  lip  and  said 
nothing ;  she  knew  she  would  be  greatly  flat- 
tered to  be  invited  to  some  of  the  many  dinners 
Mrs.   Hughes  had  attended  and  given. 

"  Another  form  of  social  entertainment  in 
which  wc  have  often  indulged  is  a  Musicale, 
and  still  another,  a  Reading.  At  both  of  these 
we  often  have  a  little  dance,  and  always  a 
charming  time.      But  I  feci  that  I  must  crave 


190  THE  BIDDY  CLUB. 

pardon   again,  for  I  have  afflicted  you  with  a 
long  digression." 

"  We  brought  it  on  ourselves,  Mrs.  Hughes," 
said  the  Sprightly  Lady,  "  and  I  think  we  can 
very  comfortably  endure  the  affliction.  For  my 
part,  I  want  more;  I  wish  you  would  tell  us 
what  you  think  of  George  Eliot's  story,  '  The 
Sad  Fortunes  of  the  Reverend  Amos  Barton.'  " 

"  I  can  easily  understand  why  you  ask,"  said 
Mrs.  Hughes,  with  a  laugh,  "  but  we  must  not 
continue  this  theme  longer.  At  our  next  meet- 
ing, if  the  ladies  are  interested  in  hearing  it,  I 
will  very  willingly  give  you  my  opinion  of  that 
story." 


A  MOTHER'S  RIGHTS  AND  DUTIES.     191 


CHAPTER    XII. 
A  mother's  rights  and  duties. 

Now,  Mrs.  Hughes,"  said  Dolly,  upon  the 
next  assemblage  of  the  Club,  "let  us 
hear  about  the  sad  Barton." 

The  rest  of  the  ladies  joined  in  this  request, 
and  one  of  the  Silent  Members  said,  — 

"  I  am  especially  interested  in  this,  for  I  can't 
imagine  how  that  story  can  have  any  bearing  on 
our  last  topic  of  discussion." 

"  I  can,"  said  the  Sprightly  Lady.  "  Come, 
Mrs.  Hughes,  take  up  Millie  Barton  ;  I  know 
she  '11  get  a  good  scoring." 

"The  bearing  is  simply  this:  Millie  Barton 
has,  I  believe,  by  the  great  majority  of  her 
readers,  been  held  up  to  admiration  as  a  model 
wife  and  mother,  —  a  very  beautiful  type  of 
womanhood.  I  used  to  draw  down  such  indig- 
nation on  my  head,  in  my  younger  days,  by 
dissenting  from  this  view,  that  I  generally  kept 
silent,  unless  the  subject  was  forced  upon  me." 

"  You  don't  mean  to  say  you  don't  admire 
Millie  Barton  }  "  gasped  a  Silent  Member. 


192  THE   BIDDY  CLUB. 

"\  am  afraid  I  do  mean  that,"  said  Mrs. 
Hughes,  gently.  "  I  may  seem  unappreciative  ; 
but  in  my  mind  I  find  but  little  admiration  for 
Millie  Barton,  and  but  little  pity  for  Amos 
Barton.  The  story  is  beautiful,  as  far  as  word- 
ing and  life-painting  are  concerned.  As  types, 
the  characters  are  excellently  drawn  ;  but  as 
objects  of  admiration  and  pity,  I  think  they 
fail.  You  remember  that  the  story  opens  with 
a  picture  of  Millie  Barton  walking  the  floor  with 
her  baby,  and  glancing  wistfully  at  a  large  pile 
of  stockings  which  must  be  mended  ere  she 
retires.  Now  that  sounds  devoted  and  pathetic  ; 
but  if  we  shed  the  light  of  common-sense  and 
intellect  upon  it,  I  think  the  picture  fades.  It 
has  always  seemed  to  me  that  any  woman  who 
was  found  walking  the  floor  with  a  healthy  year- 
old  baby  at  ten  o'clock  at  night  was  simply  a 
bad  manager.  My  children  were  never  walked 
to  sleep,  unless  suffering  from  ear-ache  or  some 
other  pain,  which  we  took  all  possible  means  to 
soothe.  Long  before  ten  o'clock  a  baby  should 
be  asleep ;  and  it  will  be,  without  trouble,  if 
its  mother  shows  any  judgment  and  common- 
sense." 

"  But  surely  Millie  Barton  had  great  need  to 
overwork,  with  her  poverty  and  large  family," 
said  a  Silent  Member,  whose  face  was  seamed 
with  cares. 


A  MOTHER'S  RIGHTS  AND  DUTIES.     1 93 

"Yes,"  said  Mrs.  Hughes;  "and  if  the  large 
family  were  necessary  we  would  pity  her,  and 
commend  her  for  her  patient  cheerfulness. 
Long  ago,  when  I  was  very  young  and  inex- 
perienced, I  read  that  story  ;  but  although  I 
was  deeply  affected  then  by  its  simple  pathos, 
I  yet  felt  that  in  some  way  it  was  keyed  upon 
a  false  note.  Some  years  later  I  re-read  it  very 
carefully,  and  then  I  saw  more  clearly  than  I 
had  before  been  able  to  see,  wherein  the  falsity 
lay.  The  hero  is  so  unheroic,  that  he  discovers 
scarcely  a  single  commendable  trait.  Pitiably 
narrow  and  ignorant  in  his  religious  life;  crimi- 
nally ignorant  in  his  domestic  life  ;  a  man  whose 
conceit  and  selfishness  prevented  him  from  see- 
ing that  his  wife  was  dying  by  inches ;  a  creature 
decidedly  of  the  earth,  too  ignorant  to  know  it 
was  a  sin  to  bring  into  the  world  human  beings 
for  whom  he  and  his  wife  had  not  the  means 
and  strength  to  provide,  —  that  man  is  faith- 
fully pictured  for  us,  but  he  is  not  held  up  to 
contempt ;  for  we  are  constrained  to  feci  that 
the  author,  in  her  heart,  not  only  pities  him  but 
even  cherishes  toward  him  a  tender  feeling." 

"  Well,  whatever  George  Eliot  may  think  of 
Mr.  Amos,  she  evidently  holds  Mrs.  Amos  up 
as  a  model,"  said  the  Sprightly  One. 

"  Yes,  she  is  represented  as  an  ideal  of  lovely 
womanhood.      But  I  confess  she  seems  to  me 

13 


194  THE  BIDDY  CLUB. 

but  little  more  than  a  beautiful,  sweet-tempered 
animal.     She  displays  very  little  intellect  ;  her 
love  is  of  the  unreasoning  kind.     She  evidently 
has  no  knowledge  of  her  own  rights,  and  knows 
nothing  of  the  right  of  a  child  not  to  be  born 
unless  the  parents  can  furnish  means  of  proper 
provision.      She  even  slights  the  rights  of  her 
maid,  for  the  first  picture  describes  the  over- 
worked servant,  who  had  been  ironing  all  day, 
as  taking  the  baby  at  ten  o'clock  at  night  to  put 
him  to  sleep,  because,  perchance,  his  presence 
in    the   sitting-room    may  be  an   annoyance  to 
his  father.     Such  things  are  wrong  ;  and   it  is 
largely  in  order  to  enable  us  to  prevent  them 
that  we  are  given  an  intelligence  so  superior  to 
that  with  which  the  brutes  are  endowed.     By 
her  injudicious  indulgence  of  that  year-old  baby, 
Millie  Barton  wronged  him,  her  maid,  herself, 
and   her   unborn    child.      Take   another   point  ; 
the  woman  who  could,  after  all  the  suffering  she 
had  undergone  at  the  hands  of  his  ignorance 
and  selfishness,  pronounce  Amos  Barton  a  good 
husband,    was    herself    sadly   lacking    in    those 
higher   intellectual   traits  and  in  that   spiritual 
insight    which    should    distinguish    the    human 
from  the  merely  animal." 

"But  don't  you  suppose,  Mrs.  Hughes,  that 
this  was  a  faithful  picture  of  those  times.?" 
asked  a  Silent  Member. 


A  MOTHER'S  RIGHTS  AND  DUTIES.     195 

"Yes,  and,  alas  !  of  these  times  also,  in  many- 
households.  I  don't  doubt  that  George  Eliot  in 
this,  and  some  other  instances,  wrote  according 
to  her  day  and  her  nation  ;  but  a  great  writer 
should  be  far  ahead  of  her  day,  and  her  nation 
too,  for  that  matter,  if  need  be.  A  writer  should 
be  a  leader,  and  no  leader  should  tarry  in  the 
present,  but  should  dip  into  the  future.  Dick- 
ens presents  the  grossest  wrongs  in  his  works, 
but  he  does  not  label  them  rights.  He  paints 
them  in  such  plain  colors,  that  even  one  accus- 
tomed to  a  narrow  sphere  of  thought  and  life 
cannot  mistake  his  meaning,  at  least.  I  re- 
cently read,  in  the  London  '  Spectator,'  an  ex- 
cellent remark.  The  writer  said  that  the  chief 
error  of  the  tale  he  was  reviewing  consisted 
in  its  presentation  of  useless  and  purposeless 
self-sacrifice  as  something  noble,  heroic,  and 
admirable.  That  brought  to  my  mind  this 
story  of  George  Eliot.  Surely  there  are 
enough  opportunities  in  life  for  the  display  of 
real  womanhood,  without  dragging  in  those 
occasions  which  should  only  rouse  a  noble  in- 
dignation and  refusal,  and  representing  their 
endurance  as  womanly !  Surely  there  are 
enough  opportunities  for  true  motherhood,  with- 
out presenting  under  that  head  those  that 
merely  show  that,  like  an  affectionate  animal, 
the    woman    loves   without    being    able    to   see 


196  THE   BIDDY  CLUB. 

what  is  for  the  best  good  of  her  child.  Real 
motherhood  should  always  excite  our  strongest 
admiration  ;  but  we  should  be  able  to  tell  the 
fictitious  from  the  true,  the  injudicious  from  the 
wise,  and  to  detect  sentimentality,  even  when 
it  is  labelled  sentiment.  Natural  history  tells 
of  a  gall-insect  that  sacrifices  its  own  life  in 
order  to  preserve  the  lives  of  its  young.  Im- 
mediately after  laying  its  eggs  it  covers  them 
with  its  body,  and  pins  the  edges  of  the  latter 
to  the  ground  all  around,  in  such  a  manner  as 
to  protect  the  eggs  but  to  cause  its  own  death. 
This  certainly  is  the  highest  type  of  motherly 
devotion  in  an  insect,  but  in  the  human  mother 
we  look  for  something  more.  Her  life  should 
be  of  greatest  value  to  her  children,  and  should 
be  preserved  for  their  sake  if  not  for  her  own. 
But  Millie  Barton,  like  that  insect,  so  pinned  her 
life  down  about  her  household,  and  so  drained 
her  vital  powers,  that  her  lamp  of  existence 
went  out,  and  her  little  ones  were  left  to  be  an 
unnatural  burden  upon  their  young  sister,  who 
herself  needed  the  care  and  training  of  the 
mother  whose  life  had  been  so  needlessly  and 
wrongly  sacrificed." 

"  Well,  Mrs.  Hughes,"  said  the  member  with 
the  very  careworn  face,  "  it  may  be  easy  to 
convince  us,  but  I  think  you  would  have  to 
make  men  over." 


A  MOTHER'S  RIGHTS  AND  DUTIES.     197 

"  Not  all  of  them  :  there  are  some  truly  manly 
men,  even  now  ;  but  if  that  were  necessary,  it 
is  no  impossible  task.  Indeed,  any  woman  who 
has  a  son  whom  she  is  not  making  over,  as  you 
call  it,  is  falling  far  short  of  true  motherhood, 
and  is  doing  the  greatest  wrong  to  some  future 
woman.  Another  sentence,  which  I  read  in  the 
book  reviews  of  the  same  paper,  is  worthy  of 
most  serious  attention.  It  occurs  in  an  excel- 
lent article  on  a  book  called,  '  The  Problems  of 
a  Great  City.'  Speaking  of  the  problem  which 
arises  from  the  fact  that  the  criminal  and  idle 
will  have  children,  the  writer  says :  '  We  have 
first  to  make  the  comfortable  classes  understand 
morality  in  this  respect.  Until  we  can  make 
the  healthy  and  impecunious  curate,  whose 
death  would  leave  a  wife  and  six  children  penni- 
less, feel  true  shame  at  his  position,  it  is  useless 
to  expect  the  criminal  and  idle  classes  to  under- 
stand and  act  upon  the  law  of  population.'  The 
suo-gestions  embodied  in  this  sentence  are  not 
only  suitable  for  grave  consideration,  but  they 
demand  it,  and  it  is  wrong  to  try  to  put  them 
aside.  Another  article  in  this  same  paper 
speaks  of  the  masses  on  this  globe,  for  which,  as 
it  says,  after  a  comparatively  short  period,  there 
will  not  be  even  breathing-space  to  be  found. 
We  have  all  heard  people  seriously  speak  of 
fires,  cyclones,  pestilences,    and   various    other 

LONG  BEACH  LEAGUE 
FOR  THE  HARD  OF  HEARINP, 


1 98  THE  BIDDY  CLUB. 

disasters,  as  God's  means  of  diminishing  the 
number  of  human  beings.  For  years,  now,  the 
question,  not  only  as  regards  professions  and 
almost  all  occupations,  but  in  Europe  even  re- 
specting territory  itself,  has  not  been  of  popula- 
tion, but  of  over-population.  This  may  seem  to 
some  of  the  Club  a  long  and  inexcusable  digres- 
sion, but  I  cannot  conceive  how  a  woman  can 
realize  the  dignity  of  her  position  as  house- 
keeper, and  fulfil  its  duties  properly,  unless  she 
have  a  proper  conception  of  her  dignity  and 
her  rights  as  wife  and  mother;  and  the  latter 
necessarily  and  primarily  involves  just  such 
questions  as  we  have  been  discussing,  taking 
that  story  as  our  text.  The  subject  of  time  is 
closely  interwoven  with  that  of  housekeeping, 
and  upon  this  topic  we  hear  many  ignorant 
opinions  from  the  lips  of  those  who  should 
utter  wisdom.  I  know  a  young  lady  of  intelli- 
gence and  gifts,  who  recently  made  a  visit  to 
the  home  of  a  married  brother.  She  told  me 
that  the  question  as  to  whether  or  not  she 
ought  to  pursue  her  art  (of  painting)  if  she 
married,  had  often  come  up  in  her  mind  ;  but 
after  her  experiences  with  her  brother's  children, 
she  saw  that  it  would  not  be  right  to  do  so.  I 
differ  from  her  widely,  feeling  certain  that  she 
would  commit  an  actual  wrong  were  she  to  neg- 
lect this  gift.     In  reading  the  Parables,  I  can- 


A  MOTHER'S  RIGHTS  AND  DUTIES.     1 99 

not  discover  that  Christ  made  any  exception  in 
favor  of  women,  when  he  forbade  the  hiding  of 
a  talent  in  a  napkin." 

"  But  what  is  to  be  done  if  a  woman's  house- 
hold duties  prevent  her  from  exercising  her 
talent?"  asked  the  Practical  Person. 

"  If  she  has  assumed  household  cares,  I  should 
say  their  claim  was  the  stronger  of  the  two. 
There  are  cases  where  women  possess  a  talent 
whose  exercise  would  materially  interfere  with 
the  proper  performance  of  household  duties,  and 
possess  it  in  such  a  marked  degree  that  to  me 
it  seems  plain  God  did  not  intend  they  should 
marry,  I  think  there  are  men,  too,  who  are  set 
apart  for  a  single  life,  by  God's  having  given 
them  some  especial  work  which  would  interfere 
with  their  duties  as  husband  and  father.  But 
my  own  experience,  as  well  as  the  experience  of 
many  older  and  abler  women,  has  shown  me 
that  it  is  only  a  vocation  of  an  exceptional  kind 
which  must  of  necessity  prevent,  for  man  or 
woman,  the  proper  performance  of  the  duties 
belonging  to  married  life," 

"  Mrs,  Hughes,  did  you  think  about  this  before 
you  were  married  ?  "  asked  Dolly. 

"  Yes ;  I  was  led  to  think  of  it.  I  was  in- 
structed and  taught  by  wise  parents  to  look  about 
me  observingly  and  intelligently.  The  men  or 
women   who    postpone   such    study   until   after 


200  THE  BIDDY  CLUB. 

marriage  are  sure  to  bring  a  great  deal  of  trouble 
upon  themselves,  and  on  others  who  are  innocent 
of  the  mistake  or  wrong.  Ever  since  I  was  a 
very  young  girl  my  mind  has  been  busily  re- 
volving the  problems  of  woman's  life  and  work. 
I  have  travelled  some,  visited  some,  been  in  a 
number  of  households,  and  even  as  a  girl  it  was 
my  custom  to  study  the  workings  of  those  house- 
holds. In  most  of  them  I  must  say  that  I  re- 
garded much  that  I  saw  as  one  regards  a  warning 
sign-board,  '  Go  and  do  not  likewise,'  was  the 
command  I  frequently  seemed  to  hear ;  but  there 
were  homes  in  which  I  saw  such  good  manage- 
ment, such  an  admirable  union  of  heart  and 
brain,  that  I  was  fain  to  sit  at  the  feet  of  the 
mistress  and  learn  of  her.  And  so  when  I  took 
charge  of  a  home  of  my  own,  my  mind  was  well 
stored  with  theories,  the  result  of  observation 
and  thought.  Among  other  aims  these  stood  out 
prominently,  —  the  establishment  of  an  attract- 
ive and  comfortable  home  with  the  least  expen- 
diture of  money ;  the  proper  care  of  infants 
with  the  least  expenditure  of  time  and  strength ; 
and  the  development  of  the  character  of  my 
servants.  At  first  came  the  struggle  which  is 
the  almost  inevitable  attendant  upon  an  adjust- 
ment of  theory  to  practice.  I  do  not  claim  that 
the  work  is  ended,  nor  that  it  ever  will  be  ended  ; 
there  will  always  be  need  for  study,  thought,  and 


A  MOTHER'S  RIGHTS  AND  DC/TIES.     201 

endeavor  to  exercise  the  highest  powers.  But  I 
have  year  by  year  been  finding  my  task  less 
difficult,  and  I  believe  that  it  will  continually 
grow  so." 

"  Don't  you  think,  Mrs.  Hughes,  that  women 
have  many  wrongs  inflicted  on  them  ? "  asked  a 
Silent  Member,  whose  face  told  its  story. 

"  I  sometimes  think  that  women  are  the  most 
deeply  wronged  of  all  God's  creation ;  but  on 
looking  about  me  I  am  bound  to  confess  that  in 
most  cases  they  themselves  are  mainly  respon- 
sible for  these  wrongs.  Such  ignorance  of  their 
rights ;  such  failure  to  show  common-sense, 
reason,  judgment,  —  to  put  their  brains  into  the 
care  of  their  households  and  children,  —  as  one 
sees  on  every  side,  is  fairly  disheartening.  And 
worse  still,  not  only  are  women  guilty  of  these 
grave  errors,  but  there  is  a  false  note  running 
through  their  creed,  and  on  that  note  is  keyed 
the  cry  that  these  same  errors  are  virtues  ;  that 
these  and  not  their  opposite  mean  womanliness, 
true  wifehood,  and  motherhood.  Never  was  a 
falser  note  sounded  !  " 

"  You  do  think,  then,  that  women  are  in- 
ferior to  men,  Mrs.  Hughes!"  exclaimed  the 
Frivolous  Person  ;  and  she  seemed  rather  de- 
lighted. 

"  By  no  means,"  answered  Mrs.  Hughes,  with 
unusual   force.      "  In   looking   closely    into    the 


202  THE   BIDDY  CLUB. 

affairs  of  men,  one  can  discern  much  of  the 
same  stupidity  and  ignorance,  modified  neces- 
sarily by  a  man's  being  out  in  the  world  more 
and  gaining  some  sense  by  hard  knocks.  But 
however  that  may  be,  it  is  over  my  own  sex  that 
I  chiefly  mourn,  because  their  work  is  the  more 
important  of  the  two,  and  hence  their  errors  are 
more  disastrous  than  the  errors  of  men.  In  my 
more  sanguine  moments  I  hope  that  an  entirely 
different  state  of  affairs  will  be  brought  about, 
and  in  my  most  sanguine  I  firmly  believe  it  will. 
At  present,  I  venture  to  assert  that  there  is  not 
one  woman  out  of  a  hundred  whose  household 
management  would  betray  that  admirable  union 
of  heart  and  brains  which  should  form  the  true 
womanly  ideal.  When  women  become  women 
indeed,  we  shall  have  educated  mothers  educat- 
ing their  children.  Public  schools  will  then  be 
relegated  to  their  proper  place,  and  become  the 
foster  home  of  the  lower  classes  chiefly,  —  those 
whose  parents  are  prevented  by  ignorance  or 
the  needs  of  toil,  or  probably  by  both,  from 
educating  them  ;  and  then  perhaps  these 
schools  will  not  continue  to  teach  French, 
Latin,  Greek,  and  some  other  branches,  at  the 
public  expense." 

"  You  believe,  then,  in  limiting  the  small 
low-born  boy's  knowledge?"  said  the  Sprightly 
Lady. 


A   MOTHER'S  RIGHTS  AND  DC/TIES.     203 

"  No  ;  but  I  believe  in  letting  him  work  for 
his  education  beyond  a  certain  point.  But  this 
subject  has  not  even  as  much  excuse  for  claim- 
ing our  consideration  as  the  last,  and  I  must 
forego  it.  Indeed,  I  feel  I  must  for  the  hun- 
dredth time  ask  pardon  for  digression,  and  again 
promise  better  conduct  in  the  future." 


204  THE  BIDDY  CLUB. 


CHAPTER   XIII. 

METHODS  OF  HOME  GOVERNMENT. 

UPON  the  next  assemblage  of  the  Club,  I 
observed  that  the  Frivolous  Young  Per- 
son was  missing.  "  I  knew  it  ! "  I  exclaimed 
mentally  ;  "  I  knew  she  could  n't  stand  that  last 
meeting ! "  I  always  was  able  to  foretell  any- 
thing after  it  occurred.  A  few  of  the  other  ladies 
seemed  to  have  had  their  enthusiasm  a  trifle 
dampened,  owing,  I  suppose,  to  the  fact  that 
they  had  talked  the  last  meeting  over  with  their 
husbands.  But  Mrs.  Hughes  was  not  a  woman 
to  be  moved  by  anything  of  that  kind.  She  was 
too  just  and  too  calm  to  allow  any  opposition  to 
cause  her  to  waver  from  an  action  or  a  word  she 
deemed  right.  At  the  same  time  she  was  far  from 
being  a  contentious  woman,  or  one  who  lacked 
wisdom  enough  to  see  when  it  was  time  to  be 
silent.  And  having  said  all  she  thought  neces- 
sary to  say  for  a  time  on  those  vital  questions, 
she  brought  forward  other  subjects.  Her  con- 
trol over  those  with  whom  she  associated  was, 
to  casual  observers,  wonderful ;  but  the  secret 


METHODS  OF  HOME  GOVERNMENT.     205 

lay,  not  alone  in  her  mental  power,  but  also  in 
her  gentle  courtesy,  her  justice,  and  her  tender, 
sympathetic  nature. 

"  We  were  speaking,"  she  said,  on  opening  the 
meeting,  —  for  she  had  long  since  acceded  to  the 
wish  of  the  Club  that  she  should  be  its  leader, — 
"  several  meetings  ago,  I  think  it  was,  we  were 
speaking  of  the  matter  of  engaging  servants,  and 
their  asking  many  questions  at  that  time.  It 
seems  to  me  that  the  best  plan  is  for  the  mis- 
tress to  volunteer  answers  to  these  questions 
before  they  are  asked,  if  we  may  so  express  it. 
The  latter  is  my  plan.  After  asking  a  girl  about 
various  things,  I  say :  '  Now  I  suppose  that  you 
want  to  know  all  you  can  about  the  place  I  have 
to  offer  you.'  And  then  I  tell  her,  not  only 
what  wages  I  will  give,  but  also  of  what  my  fam- 
ily consists,  and  what  her  work  and  her  privi- 
leges will  probably  be.  I  am  very  minute,  both 
for  her  sake  and  also  for  my  own,  for  I  find  that 
all  is  apt  to  run  more  smoothly  when  there  has 
in  the  first  place  been  a  perfect  understanding." 

"  Mrs.  Hughes,"  said  Dolly,  "  will  you  please 
tell  me  something  about  governing  servants." 

"  As  much  as  I  can  •,  but  it  is  difficult  to  con- 
dense that  subject  into  a  few  words.  There  are, 
or  should  be,  various  ways,  for,  as  we  said  be- 
fore, no  two  can  be  treated  alike  ;  and  the  suc- 
cessful mistress,  like  the  successful  mother  or 


206  THE  BIDDY  CLUB. 

teacher,  or  any  leader  or  governor,  in  fact,  must 
be  a  student  of  human  nature.     But  there  are 
some  general  rules  which,  as  far  as  my  experi- 
ence and  study  go,  seem,  with  few  exceptions,  to 
be  of  value.     One  of  these,  for  me  at  least,  grew 
out  of  a  hint  I  received  from  an  article  on  a 
child's  telling  lies.     The  advice  here  given  was 
to  go  out  of  one's  way,  if  necessary,  to  convince 
the  child  that  he  lost  whenever  he  told  a  falsehood, 
not  by  whipping   him,  —  that  was  not   recom- 
mended, —  but  by  letting  him  find  out  that  not 
only  the  advantage  he  strove  to  gain  was  lost, 
but  some  other  advantage  as  well.     This  same 
rule  can  be  applied  to  service,  I  think.     For  in- 
stance, if  a  girl  is  careless,  I  take  great  pains, 
generally  without  saying  anything  to  her,  to  let 
her  see  that  her  carelessness  costs  her  trouble. 
I  have  hanging  in  my  kitchen  a  blank-book  and 
pencil,  so  that  the  cook  may  set  down  any  article 
needed  from  the  grocery   or  butcher-shop.     If 
she  forgets  to  do  this  I  let  the  omission  pass,  if 
possible,  without  notice,  until  some  time  when 
it  is  particularly  inconvenient  to  her  to  go  out 
after  whatever  article  has  been  omitted  from  the 
order,  and  then  I  send  her  for  it.     Sometimes  I 
speak  of  these  things,  by  directing  a  careless 
girl's  attention  to  the  many  needless  steps  she 
takes  because  she  does  not  use  her  memory.     I 
always  try  to  see  that  the  penalty  for  the  care- 


METHODS  OF  HOME  GOVERNMENT.     207 

lessness  or  wrong-doing  of  a  servant  never  falls 
upon  any  one  but  herself.  This  requires  atten- 
tion and  management,  of  course.  On  the  other 
hand,  I  show  my  servants  that  they  gain  by 
good  service.  Praise  has  always  been  with  me 
a  powerful  instrument  of  government.  I  have 
rarely  ever  talked  with  a  servant  reprovingly, 
when  I  have  not  taken  pains  at  the  same  time 
to  notice  something  she  did  well,  or  some  good 
trait  she  possessed.  And  I  never  fail  to  notice 
any  attention  or  kindness,  however  slight,  which 
my  servants  may  show  me.  This  always  stimu- 
lates them  to  greater  efforts  to  please.  It  is 
sometimes  necessary  to  awe  one's  servants  a  tri- 
fle. For  illustration,  permit  mc  to  speak  of  a 
nurse  I  once  had,  but  could  only  keep  until  I 
was  able  to  supply  her  place,  because  of  her  tem- 
per. She  never  gave  way  to  passion  before  me, 
but  I  knew  that  even  her  repressed  irritability 
found  a  certain  expression,  and  had  a  certain  bad 
influence  over  the  children.  She  belonged  to  a 
class  with  whom  I  dislike  to  deal,  although  I 
can  if  necessary.  I  had  to  keep  her  in  order  by 
demonstration  of  superior  force  and  will-power. 
She  never  dared  show  anger  to  me,  but  I  knew 
that  she  vented  her  ill-humors  in  my  kitchen, — 
knew  it  because  I  knew  that  such  a  nature  as 
hers  must  find  an  outlet,  and  because  I  noticed 
in  the  atmosphere  of  my  house  the  effect  of  her 


208  THE  BIDDY  CLUB. 

angry  complaints.  But  it  astonished  my  cook 
very  much  when  I  told  her  one  day  that  although 
I  had  not  overheard  a  syllable  that  had  been 
spoken,  I  knew  what  Charlotte  was  saying  in 
the  kitchen.  Several  times  my  knowledge  of 
human  nature,  and  of  the  inevitable  consequences 
of  certain  conditions  and  elements  of  character, 
has  impressed  my  servants  with  an  idea  that  my 
oversight  was  not  confined  to  the  times  of  my 
presence." 

"What  do  you  do  when  a  girl  is  impudent, 
Mrs.  Hughes }  "  asked  the  Sprightly  Lady. 

"  I  never  had  an  impudent  servant." 

"  You  must  have  been  wonderfully  fortunate 
in  their  dispositions,  then,"  observed  the  Prac- 
tical Person. 

"  No,  I  think  not.  This  nurse,  of  whom  I 
have  been  speaking,  was  a  most  high-tempered, 
proud-spirited  girl.  But  although  I  had  to  talk 
to  her  sometimes  in  the  plainest  and  even  se- 
verest way,  I  never  had  an  impudent  word  from 
her.  She  was  a  girl  who  could  not  keep  any 
place,  because  of  her  temper.  I  only  kept  her 
two  months,  and  would  have  parted  with  her 
sooner,  but  for  the  fact  that  I  was  ill  and  could 
not  choose  another  girl.  I  felt  sorry  for  her ; 
she  had  had  much  to  embitter  her  life.  But 
although  I  did  not  feel  it  right  to  continue  fny 
children  in  her  care,  she  knew  that  I  understood 


METHODS  OF  HOME  GOVERNMENT.     209 

and  to  a  certain  extent  sympathized  with  her  ; 
knew,  too,  that  when  I  reproved  her  I  always 
had  justice  on  my  side  ;  and  I  think  that  this 
same  justice  had  even  more  control  over  her 
than  my  will.  I  always  showed  her,  as  I  always 
show  all  my  servants,  that  I  am  perfectly  fear- 
less. I  show  them,  too,  that  I  rely  on  their 
doing  what  is  right  by  me.  Once,  when  I  was 
sick  in  bed,  Charlotte  went  out  for  the  afternoon 
without  permission.  It  was  the  day  which  I 
usually  gave  her,  but  she  knew  that  when  I  was 
ill  she  ought  to  consult  me.  I  only  discovered 
her  absence  by  learning  that  my  cook  was 
unable  to  perform  some  service  for  my  nurse 
because  she  had  the  children  in  charge.  I  said 
to  my  husband  that  I  would  talk  to  Charlotte 
and  see  that  that  never  happened  again.  He  ad- 
vised me  not  to  do  so,  as  I  would  be  in  a  great 
strait  if  she  left  at  that  time ;  but  I  had  no  fear, 
and  on  her  return  I  summoned  her  to  my  room. 
I  asked  her  very  quietly  how  she  came  to  go 
out  without  permission.  She  replied  that  it  was 
her  regular  day.  I  said,  '  I  have  never  had  a  day 
when  my  servants  are  free  to  go  out,  come  wind 
or  rain  or  hail.  You  knew  I  was  ill,  and  you 
should  have  asked  if  you  could  be  spared.'  She 
said  she  did  ask  Maggie,  the  cook,  and  she  told 
her  she  could  go.  I  almost  smile  now,  when 
I  think  of  how  I   drew  myself  up  in  bed,  and 

14 


2IO  THE  BIDDY  CLUB. 

spoke  with  such  dignity,  '  Charlotte,  you  will 
have  to  understand,  once  for  all,  that  Maggie  is 
not  the  one  to  give  permission  ;  as  long  as  I  live, 
I  shall  be  mistress  here.'  At  another  time  in 
my  life  I  had  an  Irish  cook  who  had  been  con- 
siderably petted  and  flattered.  She  had  been 
receiving  five  dollars  a  week,  and  in  addition  to 
a  very  exalted  opinion  of  herself,  she  possessed 
an  ugly  temper.  There  were  many  occasions 
during  the  time  she  lived  with  me,  when  nothing 
but  the  most  careful  management  kept  her  from 
impudence.  At  the  risk  of  being  tedious,  I  will 
relate  a  scene  that  once  took  place  between  us. 
I  have  always  insisted  on  having  the  servants 
air  their  room  thoroughly,  and  one  morning,  on 
going  into  Bridget's  room,  I  found  that  the  win- 
dow had  not  been  opened.  It  was  frozen  down  ; 
but,  as  I  had  shown  her  before,  a  little  hot  water 
from  the  bath-room  near  by  would  suffice  to 
thaw  it,  I  went  to  work  upon  it  this  time  my- 
self, and  just  then  she  came  upstairs.  She  felt, 
as  I  intended  she  should,  tacitly  reproved,  and 
was  angry.  She  began  making  up  her  bed,  and 
I  said,  '  Bridget,  the  room  is  not  aired,  so  you 
need  not  make  the  bed  yet.'  She  muttered 
something  about  the  bed  not  needing  any  more 
airing,  and  continued  making  it  up.  Again  I 
said  very  quietly,  as  I  worked  away  at  the  win- 
dow, '  Bridget,  I  do  not  wish  to  have  you  make 


METHODS  OF  HOME  GOVERNMENT.     211 

that  bed  now.'  She  proceeded  to  mutter  and 
growl  to  herself,  as  she  did  when  angry.  It 
was  a  peculiar  sound  like  distant  thunder,  and 
I  always  knew  it  threatened  a  storm,  and  was 
wary.  She  continued  to  make  up  the  bed,  and 
I  said  no  more,  but  pursued  my  work,  resolved 
to  dismiss  her  if  she  really  disobeyed  me.  But 
after  she  had  half  made  it  she  left  the  room 
and  went  downstairs,  still  growling  ominously. 
That  day  and  the  next  I  avoided  my  kitchen  as 
a  mariner  avoids  an  ugly  rock.  When  neces- 
sary to  give  directions,  I  did  so  as  gravely  and 
briefly  as  possible.  I  could  see  that  Bridget's 
smothered  rage  gradually  cooled,  and  on  the 
third  day  she  was  all  complaisance,  —  evidently 
anxious  to  make  amends.  Then  she  was  in 
just  the  proper  condition;  and  as  her  day's 
work  had  not  been  hard  enough  to  fatigue  her 
especially,  that  evening  I  summoned  her  to  my 
room.  I  had  her  then  in  my  power,  so  to 
speak,  for  her  passion  had  passed  away  and 
left  her  defenceless.  I  gave  her  one  of  the 
plainest  talks  she  ever  had.  I  spoke  kindly, 
and,  as  was  my  custom,  showed  I  appreciated 
her  good  traits  ;  yet  I  told  her  she  had  narrowly 
escaped  dismissal,  which  would  have  been  a 
great  disgrace  to  her.  I  showed  her  how  im- 
possible it  would  be  for  mc  to  maintain  my 
position  as  mistress  if  I  allowed  any  such  con- 


LGi'.u  i.>L^v_H 


.-.-.oUL 


FOR  THE  HARD  OF  HEARINL, 


212  THE  BIDDY  CLUB. 

duct;  and  I  told  her  that  a  repetition  of  the 
offence  would  of  necessity  part  us.  The  woman 
had  the  good  sense  to  see  that  justice  was 
on  my  side,  and  she  apologized  for  what  she 
had  done,  and  I  never  afterward  had  the  same 
trouble  with  her,  although  I  often  left  my 
kitchen  because  I  knew  that  if  I  continued 
there  I  should  be  forced  to  notice  some  mis- 
demeanor, reproof  for  which  she  was  then  in  no 
mood  to  brook.  That  is,  I  think,  the  great 
secret  of  avoiding  impudence  on  the  part  of 
servants  ;  always  be  cool  yourself,  particularly 
with  a  hot-tempered  girl,  and  if  you  have  occa- 
sion for  serious  reproof,  or  if  it  is  necessary  to 
talk  over  a  number  of  matters,  select  some  time 
when  she  is  not  fatigued,  when  she  is  quiet  and 
disposed  to  listen.  And  of  all  things,  take  her 
alone.  Never  make  the  mistake  of  reproving  a 
servant  before  others  ;  you  mortify  her,  and  the 
resentment  she  feels  because  of  this  humiliation 
almost  invariably  finds  its  outlet  in  impudence." 

"  I  don't  think  they  all  are  as  sensitive  as 
you  suppose,  Mrs.  Hughes,"  said  the  Practical 
Person. 

"I  can  only  say,"  answered  Mrs.  Hughes,  "that 
I  should  have  no  hopes  of  making  anything  out 
of  a  servant  who  was  not  somewhat  stung  and 
humiliated  when  reproved  before  others.  Even 
in  small   matters  I   think  it  is  very  unwise  to 


METHODS  OF  HOME  GOVERNMENT.     213 

make  any  correction  whatever  before  other  per- 
sons. Indeed,  it  has  always  been  my  custom  to 
do  as  much  of  my  speaking  as  possible — direc- 
tions and  all — when  I  am  alone  with  my  ser- 
vants. I  find  that  this  course  tends  to  make 
them  more  quiet  and  respectful  in  their  behavior 
about  the  house.  I  remember  once  visiting  in 
a  family  where  scarcely  a  meal  passed  without 
some  conversation  of  this  kind  between  the  mis- 
tress and  the  maid.  The  mistress  would  perhaps 
discover  that  her  plate  was  cold,  and  turn  at 
once  to  the  waitress :  '  These  plates  are  cold 
again  to-day  ;  I  told  you  to  look  after  this,  and 
see  that  they  were  always  warm.'  And  then  the 
waitress  would  try  to  vindicate  herself  by  saying, 
perhaps, '  I  heated  them  myself  to-day ;  they  must 
have  cooled.'  And  the  mistress  would  further 
remark,  '  They  certainly  have.  I  can't  bear  cold 
plates  ;  it  just  spoils  my  dinner.'  All  this  was 
very  irritating  to  the  servant  and  offensive  to  the 
listeners.  Even  if  the  lady  had  spoken  to  the 
girl  alone,  she  should  first  have  asked  her  to  ex- 
plain herself.  Indeed,  a  mistress  should  always 
do  that,  for  often  there  are  circumstances  con- 
nected with  a  fault  that  will  partially  if  not 
wholly  excuse  it,  and  all  this  should  be  known 
before  reproof  is  attempted.  Some  women  seem 
deliberately  to  adopt  a  method  which  is  ad- 
mirably contrived  in  every  way  to  make  even  a 


214  THE  BIDDY  CLUB. 

respectful  girl  impudent.  I  have  heard  mis- 
tresses of  this  kind  nag  their  servants  until 
they  were  exasperated,  nettled,  and  stung  into 
impertinence.  Such  a  thing  as  calling  reproofs' 
up  or  down  stairs,  or  even  giving  ordinary  direc- 
tions from  one  room  to  another,  is  not  only  un- 
ladylike but  also  unwise  ;  and  the  result  of  such 
conduct  is  almost  always  a  familiar  if  not  imper- 
tinent manner  on  the  part  of  the  servant.  This 
nagging  is  an  especially  irritating  habit.  I  think 
that  many  faults  should  go  unreproved.  I  once 
heard  blindness  earnestly  recommended  to 
teachers;  and  I  think  that  in  the  same  sense  it 
might  well  be  urged  upon  mistresses.  But  when 
it  is  necessary  to  reprove  or  direct,  then  do  so, 
but  make  the  remarks  pithy  and  brief.  Say 
what  you  have  to  in  order  to  be  clearly  under- 
stood, and  be  done  with  it ;  repetitions  weaken 
authority.  Time,  place,  and  manner  all  have  to 
be  consulted  in  deahng  with  servants,  as  with 
children.  If  a  lady  goes  into  her  kitchen  when 
the  girl  is  just  struggling  with  a  large  wash,  or 
has  just  completed  it,  and  takes  her  to  task  for 
some  fault,  she  deliberately  courts  impertinence." 

"  '  She  woos,  and  should  win,'  "  observed  the 
Sprightly  Lady. 

"  I  certainly  think  so,"  said  Mrs.  Hughes. 
"  Then,  again,  if  she  chooses  a  time  when  she 
herself  is  tired  or  excited,  she  must  not  expect 


METHODS  OF  HOME  GOVERNMENT.     215 

good  results.  A  lady  should  send  for  her  ser- 
vant, when  it  becomes  necessary  to  reprove  her 
seriously,  and  speak  with  her  quite  alone.  Two 
things  I  have  always  made  clear  to  my  girls 
when  I  was  rejDroving  them,  —  one,  that  I  had 
far  rather  bestow  praise  than  blame,  that  I  was 
really  unhappy  when  matters  went  wrong  and 
the  good  feeling  between  us  was  even  tempora- 
rily impaired ;  and  the  other,  that  I  tried  in 
every  way  to  do  what  was  right  and  kind  by 
them,  to  allow  them  every  privilege  possible, 
and  in  all  ways  to  make  their  lives  with  me  as 
pleasant  as  I  could.  I  always  appealed  to  them 
to  know  if  this  were  not  so,  and  then  appealed 
to  their  sense  of  justice  to  know  if  I  had  not  a 
right  to  look  to  them  to  do  all  in  their  power  to 
make  matters  comfortable  and  pleasant  for  me. 
It  would  be  a  very  strange  girl  who  would  be 
impudent  if  she  were  always  dealt  with  in  this 
way.  I  have  never  known  such  an  one,  and,  as 
I  said  before,  I  have  had  some  very  high-tem- 
pered servants.  I  have  had,  too,  even  with  my 
good  servants,  some  occasions  for  discipline  that 
might  naturally  have  taxed  their  patience.  I 
once  had  a  very  faithful  girl,  who,  though  quiet, 
was  fond  of  going  out.  On  one  occasion  I  gave 
her  permission  to  attend  several  entertainments 
that  followed  in  close  succession,  on  condition 
that  she  would   be  home  at  a  certain  time,  — 


2l6  THE  BIDDY  CLUB. 

eleven,  I  think.  She  overstayed  the  hour  each 
night,  always  having  an  excuse,  it  is  true.  Sat- 
urday night  came,  and  she  asked  if  she  could  go 
to  a  sociable.  I  consented,  only  on  condition 
that  she  should  be  home  at  half-past  ten,  setting 
an  earlier  hour  because  she  had  been  so  often 
delinquent.  She  did  not  come  until  half-past 
twelve.  I  had  no  doubt  of  the  girl's  good  char- 
acter, but  I  felt  that,  as  its  protector,  I  must  take 
some  decided  measures.  Sunday  was  her  day 
out ;  but  I  summoned  her  to  my  room,  talked 
with  her,  and  told  her  finally  that  because  she 
had  abused  my  favors,  she  must  not  go  out  for  a 
week.  I  know  this  was  very  hard  for  her,  but 
she  felt  herself  in  the  wrong,  and  she  bore  the 
penalty.     After  that  I  had  no  more  trouble." 

"  Mrs.  Hughes,"  said  a  Silent  Member,  "  you 
spoke  of  being  brief  with  servants.  You  don't 
believe,  then,  in  talking  with  them  very  much  .-'  " 

"  Why,  yes,  I  think  I  do,  but  only  at  the  proper 
time  and  in  the  proper  way.  I  have  always 
conversed  more  or  less  with  my  servants,  espe- 
cially with  my  nurse.  The  latter  is  near  me 
much  of  the  time,  and  I  am  anxious  to  have 
her  know  my  views,  so  as  to  be  able  to  take 
care  of  my  children  intelligently.  When  I  was 
a  younger  housekeeper,  I  had  for  three  years  a 
very  valuable  nurse,  who  came  to  me  first  as 
cook.     I  always  recall  with  delight  the  remark 


METHODS  OF  HOME  GOVERNMENT.     217 

made  by  an  intimate  friend  after  this  girl  had 
been  with  me  for  over  a  year.  She  said,  '  Mar- 
tha has  changed  very  much  since  she  first  came 
to  you.  Her  whole  appearance  is  different.  She 
shows  in  every  way  an  improvement  in  char- 
acter.' I  earnestly  hope  that  no  girl  ever  lived 
with  me  as  nurse  any  length  of  time  without 
being,  when  she  left,  better  prepared  to  take 
charge  of  a  house  of  her  own  and  bring  up  chil- 
dren, if  she  ever  had  any.  I  always  endeavor 
to  take  such  an  interest  in  my  servants  that 
they  will  freely  tell  me  where  they  have  been 
when  they  go  out.  They  almost  always  tell 
where  they  are  going,  and  afterward  I  always 
ask  if  they  had  a  pleasant  time,  and  what  went 
on ;  and  I  hope  that  this  friendly  interest  pro- 
tects them,  as  well  as  influences  them  favorably." 

"  I  suppose,  Mrs.  Hughes,  you  don't  approve 
of  anything  like  familiarity  with  servants,"  said 
a  Silent  Member. 

"  Not  under  any  circumstances.  As  I  have 
often  said,  familiarity  between  mistress  and 
maid  is  both  undignified  and  improper;  but  there 
is  a  certain  pleasant  jesting  way  of  treating  ser- 
vants, which,  from  some  people  toward  some 
people,  is  very  successful,  and  does  not  beget 
familiarity." 

"  Yes,"  said  Dolly,  "  I  know  a  lady  who  almost 
always  governs  her  servants  in  that  way.     She 


2l8  THE  BIDDY  CLUB. 

is  from  the  South,  and  has  been  accustomed  to 
negroes  all  her  life,  and  she  has  a  certain  man- 
ner that  works  wonders  with  those  whom  she 
undertakes  to  govern.  Sometimes  she  is  hu- 
morous, sometimes  a  trifle  sarcastic,  and  some- 
times she  indulges  in  a  little  anger,  which  is 
about  half  real  and  half  pretended,  and  then 
they  all  know  she  is  not  to  be  trifled  with,  and 
they  fly  around  and  do  what  she  wants  without 
delay.  She  is  really  a  fascinating  study  to  me  ; 
for  with  all  this  jocularity  and  ease  of  manner, 
she  never  loses  her  dignity,  and  I  know  that  her 
servants  would  not  dream  of  taking  a  liberty 
with  her ;  sometimes  they  even  stand  a  little  in 
awe  of  her.  But  they  are  devoted  to  her  and 
her  interest;  she  can  do  almost  anything  with 
them.  She  says,  though,  that  up  North  she 
finds  a  great  difference  in  the  servants.  Many 
of  them  cannot  be  treated  in  that  way.  Indeed, 
she  has  had  a  few  to  whom  she  scarcely  dare 
say  Good-morning,  for  fear  of  their  taking  ad- 
vantage of  her,  and  straightway  trying  to  be 
familiar.  But  I  know  that  she  does  not  feel  at 
all  at  home  with  servants  of  that  type,  and  she 
generally  manages  to  have  another  kind  about 
her." 

"  How  does  she  talk  to  them  t  "  asked  a  Silent 
Member. 

"  Oh,  that  is  very  hard  to  tell.     If  I  were  to 


METHODS  OF  HOME  GOVERNMENT.     219 

try  to  imitate  I  should  probably  only  succeed  in 
caricaturing  her.  I  remember  two  or  three  little 
things  I  overheard  her  say,  but  I  am  afraid  they 
will  sound  very  flat  repeated  without  her  voice 
and  manner.  Once  she  had  found  the  servants' 
room  in  great  disorder,  and  she  accosted  her 
housemaid  with,  '  See  here,  Jane,  I  've  just  been 
up  into  your  room,  and  I  am  mortified  to  think 
I  have  any  girls  in  my  house  who  would  keep 
such  a  place.  Even  your  hats  were  on  the  floor. 
If  you  go  on  this  way,  some  day  those  hats  will 
be  missing,  and  you  and  Katie  will  have  to  go 
to  prayer-meeting  bareheaded.'  One  Sunday 
her  nurse  was  out,  and  one  of  the  other  servants 
had  charge  of  the  children.  For  some  reason 
she  wished  to  have  them  bathed  in  a  foot-tub 
instead  of  in  the  bath-room,  but  the  foot-tub 
was  missing.  She  told  Jane,  the  housemaid, 
to  look  it  up,  saying  that  Bridget,  the  nurse, 
used  it  for  the  children  the  day  before.  I  believe 
servants  are  notoriously  poor  searchers,  and  Jane 
proved  no  exception  ;  for  she  appeared  and  said 
quietly  and  resignedly,  *  The  tub  is  n't  to  be 
found,  ma'am.'  My  friend  turned  upon  her,  and 
with  one  of  her  inimitable  expressions,  half 
humorous  and  half  severe,  said,  '  Of  course  you 
can't  find  it  when  it 's  not  in  the  house.  I  sup- 
pose Bridget  took  it  to  Mass  with  her.'  The 
girl's  face  broke  into  a  smile  as  this  ludicrous 


2 JO  THE  BIDDY  CLUB. 

picture  presented  itself,  and  she  hastily  with- 
drew and — found  the  tub.  Sometimes  when 
her  servants  ask  permission  to  go  out  in  the 
evening,  she  '11  say, '  Well,  is  it  one  or  two  o'clock 
to-night  ?'  Then  they  say  what  time  they'll  be 
at  home,  and  although  she  's  very  indulgent,  she 
generally  holds  them  to  it.  She  gives  the  ser- 
vants a  vacation  once  in  a  while.  Indeed,  I 
think  she  watches  very  closely  without  saying 
much,  and  if  she  sees  signs  of  fatigue  she  cries  a 
halt,  so  to  speak,  in  the  work.  During  some  of 
their  vacations  she  pays  their  wages  right  on. 
Once,  after  she  had  been  away  herself,  I  heard 
her  say  to  her  cook,  '  Well,  Katie,  I  suppose 
you  're  crazy  to  be  travelling  now.  You  '11  have 
to  leave  next.'  Then  the  girl  modestly  told  of  a 
little  visit  she  would  like  to  make,  and  my  friend 
at  once  arranged  matters  so  that  she  could  go. 
I  don't  know  of  any  one  who  deals  with  servants 
more  successfully  than  this  lady,  but  her  methods 
are  inimitable." 

"  Yes,"  said  Mrs.  Hughes,  "  I  know  of  another 
lady  who  has  just  such  ways,  and  she,  too,  is 
from  the  South.  I  myself  should  never  under- 
take any  such  style  of  government,  for  those 
manners  and  ways  are  not  natural  to  me  by  birth 
or  education,  and  if  I  attempted  them  I  should 
fail  to  be  fascinating  and  simply  be  coarse  and 
familiar.     I  know  a  lady  who  attempts  such  ways 


METHODS  OF  HOME  GOVERNMENT.     221 

and  fails  miserably.  She  herself  is  a  North- 
erner, but  her  husband  is  from  Kentucky,  and 
she  has  probably  learned  something  of  this 
manner  of  governing  servants  from  him.  I  have 
heard  her  go  to  the  foot  of  the  stairs  and  call 
to  hCr  housemaid,  '  Sarah,  here  's  a  letter  from 
your  beau.'  Her  servants  are  almost  always 
familiar  with  her,  and  often  impudent,  and  she 
wonders  why  it  is  ;  but  we  can  easily  understand. 
The  trouble  is  not  in  her  words  alone.  When 
she  tries  to  adopt  this  free-and-easy  way,  there 
is  a  certain  indescribable  something  in  tone  and 
manner  which  marks  the  difference  between  the 
real  and  the  imitation.  The  former  is  very  suc- 
cessful with  some  servants,  the  latter  is  a  great 
failure.  But  enough  for  to-day  ;  we  must  be 
turning  homeward." 

"  Ay !  "  said  the  Sprightly  Lady,  "  '  our  noble 
husbands  do  lack  us.'  " 


222  THE  BIDDY  CLUB. 


CHAPTER    XIV.  ^ 


CARE  FOR  SERVANTS  CHARACTER. 

"1\  /TRS.  HUGHES,"  said  the  Practical  Per- 
IVX      son,  when    the    Club  next  assembled, 
"  some  reference  has  been  made  to  giving  vaca- 
tions to  serv^ants.     Do  you  believe  in  that .-'  " 

"  Yes  ;  I  give  a  yearly  vacation  of  four  weeks 
to  all  my  servants,  and  pay  their  wages  just  the 
same.  When  I  kept  but  one  girl,  she  always 
found  a  substitute  for  me ;  but  since  I  have  kept 
more,  I  have  generally  so  lessened  and  divided 
the  work  among  the  others  that  one  could  be 
spared.  I  know  how  tired  girls  become  after 
working  a  long  time,  and  I  have  found  that  these 
vacations  are  of  great  benefit.  We  ourselves 
need  to  break  ranks  once  in  a  while,  and  our  lives 
are  less  monotonous  and  our  work  generally 
more  pleasant  than  theirs." 

"  I  notice,  Mrs.  Hughes,  that  you  often  quote 
what  your  servants  think  about  things,"  said 
Dolly,  "  I  believe  that  one  secret  of  your  suc- 
cess with  them  is  that  you  look  at  matters  from 
their  standpoint." 


CARE  FOR  SERVANTS'    CHARACTER.     223 

"  I  try  to,  for  I  think  that,  without  this,  jus- 
tice would  be  an  impossibihty.  Whenever  I 
talk  with  them,  either  for  reproof  or  in  a  friendly 
way,  I  encourage  them  to  say  what  they  think, 
so  long  as  they  do  it  respectfully.  In  this  way 
I  have  learned  much  about  the  ordering  of  my 
work  and  managing  my  workers.  Every  now 
and  then  we  hear  of  some  large  establishment, 
like  John  Wanamaker's  in  Philadelphia,  and 
Pillsbury's  Mills  in  Minneapolis,  where  a  system 
of  copartnership  is  in  vogue,  and  the  result  of 
such  a  method  has  always,  I  believe,  been  satis- 
factory. I  have  tried  something  of  that  kind 
with  my  servants  almost  ever  since  I  went  to 
housekeeping,  and  it  has  worked  well." 

"  What  do  you  do } "  asked  the  Imitation 
Millionnaire. 

I  noticed  she  did  not  speak  as  often  as  for- 
merly, nor  with  as  great  confidence. 

"  I  have  only  so  far  tried  it  with  my  cook,  but 
I  hope  to  find  a  way  of  carrying  out  the  same 
plan  with  all  my  servants.  I  know  just  about 
what  my  butcher  and  grocer  bill  ought  to  be  if 
ordinary  care  is  taken  to  prevent  waste.  In  the 
early  days  of  our  housekeeping  twenty  dollars 
was  the  figure  for  groceries,  each  month,  and 
five  dollars  for  meat.  If  the  bills  did  not  ex- 
ceed this  limit,  the  cook  received  an  extra  half- 
dollar  on  the  first  week  of  the  succeeding  month. 


224  THE   BIDDY   CLUB. 

If  the  groceries  came  to  any  figure  between 
eighteen  and  nineteen  dollars,  and  the  butcher's 
bill  to  four,  the  cook's  premium  was  seventy-five 
cents,  and  so  on." 

"What  did  you  do  if  the  bills  were  over 
large  ? " 

"  I  looked  after  matters  more  closely,  and  if 
the  girl  persisted  in  extravagance  I  dismissed 
her.  But  usually  this  plan  resulted  in  more 
economy  than  any  vigilance  of  mine  in  overlook- 
ing would  have  done,  and  saved  me  time  and 
annoyance  as  well  as  money.  Another  point 
gained  by  making  servants  feel  that  they  are  in 
a  manner  partners  in  your  establishment,  is  their 
own  increase  of  dignity  and  self-respect.  This 
is  something  I  have  always  labored  for ;  I  try 
to  make  my  girls  sensitive  to  the  disgrace  of 
unfaithful,  slack  service.  I  continually  impress 
them  with  the  dishonesty  of  taking  money  for 
which  they  have  but  half  worked,  and  the  dig- 
nity of  feeling  that  what  they  receive  belongs  to 
them  by  right  of  good  labor.  This  self-respect 
and  dignity  of  character  I  try  in  every  way  to 
inculcate,  for  it  is  a  great  safeguard.  It  enters 
into  a  servant's  treatment  of  her  male  friends  ; 
into  her  sensitiveness  about  reproof,  making 
her  feel  it  a  disgrace  if  she  has  to  be  watched 
like  a  child,  for  fear  of  forgetfulness,  or  punished 
in  any  way.     The  development  of  the  character 


CARE  FOR  SERVANTS'   CHARACTER.     225 

of  our  servants  is  a  serious  responsibility,  —  one 
from  which  no  thoughtlessness  on  our  part  can 
free  us.  We  are  constantly  hearing  of  railway 
reading-rooms,  working-men's  reading-rooms, 
and  so  on.  How  many  mistresses  provide  read- 
ing for  their  servants  ?  " 

"  It  would  be  very  hard,  Mrs.  Hughes,  to  know 
what  kind  to  offer  them,"  said  the  Practical 
Person. 

"  Yes,  that  is  true  ;  but  one  can  find  something. 
As  a  rule,  they  are  interested  in  a  class  of  read- 
ing suitable  to  children  of  average  brightness, — 
children  from  seven  to  ten  years  old ;  although 
some  servants  are  beyond  this  mark,  and  some 
have  not  yet  reached  it.  Another  point  to  be 
considered  when  we  are  thinking,  as  wc  always 
should,  of  our  servants'  characters,  is  care  about 
the  conversation  overheard.  I  always  shrink 
when  any  one  in  my  house  indulges  in  talk  about 
lovers,  and  pressing  hands,  and  all  such  silly 
nonsense,  before  my  serv^ants  ;  for  to  them,  with 
their  crude  ideas,  and  their  knowledge  of  much 
moral  laxity,  all  that  has  a  worse  sound  than  to 
us.  And  if  they  fancy  such  things  are  endorsed 
by  those  whom  they  are  accustomed  to  regard 
as  above  them,  the  effect  is  bad.  In  the  same 
way  many  foolishly  indulge  in  jests  on  the 
subject  of  religion,  or  falsehood,  or  honesty,  or 
some  other  virtue;  and  although  they  themselves 

IS 


226  THE  BIDDY  CLUB. 

may  be  quite  correct  in  life,  their  influence  on  any 
who  hear  them  must  be  bad,  if  they  happen  to  be 
of  a  different  or  an  ignorant  class.     Still  another 
point  to  which  we  should  look,  when  considering 
this  subject  of  our  servant's  character,  is  extrava- 
gance.    For  their  sakes,  as  well  as  our  own,  we 
should  endeavor  to  make  economy  dignified  and 
worthy  of  respect,  and  extravagance  disreputable. 
Some  people  affect  extravagance,  or  really  indulge 
in  it,  thinking  that  it  gives  them  an  aristocratic  air, 
—  an  air  of  having  been  accustomed  to  luxury. 
If  they  did  but  know  it,  such  folly  makes  them 
contemptible    in  the    eyes    of  all    right-minded 
people,  and  gives  them   a  dishonorable    rather 
than  an  aristocratic  air.     You  will  almost  always 
find  that  people  who  affect  these  ways  have  dis- 
graceful  unpaid  bills   in  the  background  ;  you 
will  find  that  they  think  lightly  of  their  credit, 
and  that  others  do  the  same.     To  be  forced  into 
debt  because  of  unexpected  and  unusual  expenses 
is   a  great   misfortune,  but  no  disgrace;   to  be 
thrown  into  debt  by  reason  of  mismanagement 
is  still  more  unfortunate,  but  no  disgrace  if  the 
parties  are  doing  their  utmost  to  retrieve  their 
errors  and  pay  what  they  owe ;  but  to  deliber- 
ately make  debts,  and  then  go  on  living  extrava- 
gantly while  these  are  unpaid,  and  still  worse, 
to  make  a  display  of  such  extravagance,  is  dis- 
reputable, and  should,  and  does,  sooner  or  later, 


CARE  FOR  SERVANTS'  CHARACTER.     227 

blast  the  character  of  those  who  are  guilty  of 
such  conduct." 

Just  at  this  point  the  Imitation  Millionnaire 
became  very  busy  arranging  some  of  her  dra- 
peries, and  affected  not  to  hear  what  was  said. 

"  But,  Mrs.  Hughes,"  objected  a  Silent  Mem- 
ber, "you  spoke  of  teaching  economy  to  our 
servants  ;  setting  them  an  example,  I  suppose 
you  mean.  But  I  don't  quite  see  how  we  can  do 
that ;  you  surely  would  not  have  us  live  as  it 
would  be  proper  for  them  to  live." 

"  Certainly  not ;  but  the  different  styles  of  liv- 
ing suitable  for  different  people  could,  I  think, 
easily  be  made  clear  to  sensible  girls.  It  seems 
to  me  that  any  one  could  appreciate  the  fact  that 
Mrs.  Jones,  who  is  worth  a  million,  has  a  right 
to  dress  more  elegantly  than  Mrs.  Smith,  who 
is  not  worth  a  hundred.  But  the  point  that  I 
would  especially  enforce  is,  that  although  some 
things  that  would  be  extravagant  for  Mrs.  Smith 
are  perfectly  proper  for  Mrs.  Jones,  yet  actual 
waste  would  be  as  sinful  in  one  case  as  in 
another.  We  are  doing  a  good  work  whenever 
we  make  economy — not  parsimony,  but  econ- 
omy—  dignified  and  extravagance  disgraceful. 
I  once  knew  a  young  couple  who,  owing  to  the 
wicked  indulgences  of  the  man,  became  involved 
in  debt,  and  were  forced  to  break  up  house- 
keeping.    The  wife  was  young  and  very  igno- 


228  THE  BIDDY  CLUB. 

rant ;  and  while  in  the  main  I  doubt  not  she 
was  desirous  of  doing  right,  yet  I  could  not 
avoid  seeing  that,  partly  because  of  an  unfortu- 
nate early  training,  and  still  more  because  of  an 
association  with  her  corrupt  and  dishonorable 
husband,  her  sense  of  honor  was  blunted.  Al- 
though she  and  he  had  small  butcher  and  grocer 
bills  which  they  were  unable  to  pay  then,  and 
had  no  prospect  of  ever  paying,  —  bills  which 
they  felt  they  must  ever  allow  to  go  unpaid,  — 
yet  she  would  talk  to  me  of  her  husband's 
nice  tastes  ;  of  how  he  would  never  use  —  what 
my  entire  family  then  used — castile  soap,  but 
must  have  a  fine  article.  Disgust  was  the  only 
emotion  that  this  and  more  talk  of  the  same 
nature  inspired  in  me.  We  should  have  the 
same  feeling,  I  think,  toward  those  housekeepers 
who  permit  and  even  encourage  extravagance  in 
their  kitchens.  It  is  thought  by  some  poor  silly 
women  to  sound  stylish  to  speak  of  the  extrava- 
gance of  an  Irish  cook.  We  Americans  would 
do  well  to  sit  at  the  feet  of  the  French  for  a  few 
years  and  learn  how  to  turn  every  bit  and  scrap 
into  a  dainty  dish.  That  were  an  art  to  be 
proud  of,  indeed!  And  if  we  ourselves  first 
learn  and  then  teach  such  arts  in  our  household, 
we  can  have  the  satisfaction  of  knowing  that  we 
are  preparing  our  servants  in  that  respect  to  make 
good  homes  of  their  own  when  the  time  comes." 


CARE  FOR  SERVANTS'  CHARACTER.     229 

"  You  were  speaking  a  few  moments  ago,  Mrs. 
Hughes,"  said  Dolly,  "  about  the  best  method 
of  dealing  with  a  child  if  he  should  tell  stories. 
Do  you  think  that  one  can  reform  an  untruthful 
servant  ?  " 

"  Why,  yes,"  Mrs.  Hughes  answered  with  a 
smile ;  "  otherwise  I  could  not  believe  in  future 
salvation.  I  certainly  think  that  with  God's  help 
we  may  so  strengthen  and  prop  up  weakness  as 
to  reform  erring  servants  ;  it  is  somewhat  more 
difficult  to  deal  with  viciousness,  though  I  can- 
not believe  that  even  that  is  beyond  help.  For 
our  children's  sake  we  must,  however,  forego 
doing  much  that  would  otherwise  be  our  duty 
as  well  as  pleasure.  But  as  to  this  matter  of 
truthfulness,  I  have  known  many  cases  where 
servants  as  well  as  children  were  terrified  into 
falsehood.  If  a  mistress  is  quick  and  severe, 
and  her  maid  at  all  timid,  in  nine  cases  out  of 
ten  the  latter  will  learn  to  tell  lies  to  shield 
herself.  We  should  be  very  careful  not  to 
frighten  a  weak  or  a  gentle  nature  into  this 
sin." 

"  I  would  like  to  ask  about  another  point, 
Mrs.  Hughes,"  said  the  Practical  Person.  "You 
spoke  once,  I  think,  of  improving  a  slow  girl.  Is 
there  any  way  of  making  such  an  one  fast } " 

"  Perhaps  not  that,  but  I  have  seen  such  a 
servant   improve   greatly.     Sloth   is   sometimes 


230  THE  BIDDY  CLUB. 

inborn,  and  expresses  itself  in  the  movements  ; 
but  more  frequently,  I  think,  it  is  the  result  of 
a  lack  of  system.  I  once  had  a  servant  whose 
slowness  had  its  origin  in  both  causes.  I  talked 
with  her,  appealing  to  her  good  sense  and  reason, 
as  I  always  do.  I  told  her  that  I  knew  she 
would  like  to  make  me  feel  happy  about  the 
work  and  her  service  ;  told  her  that  her  own 
life  would  be  much  easier  and  happier  if  she 
would  form  different  habits ;  that  as  she  was 
now  she  must  either  violate  her  conscience  and 
perform  her  duties  in  a  half-way  manner,  or  else 
she  must  be  oppressed  by  a  knowledge  of  the 
existence  of  much  work  still  undone.  In  the 
course  of  the  talk  I  said  that  I  used  to  be  very 
slow  myself,  but  that,  as  she  already  knew,  I 
was  now  able  to  do  some  of  her  work  in  half 
the  time  that  she  required  ;  and  I  suggested 
that  she  remedy  her  fault  in  the  same  way  that 
I  had  remedied  mine,  —  by  giving  herself  a  cer- 
tain time  in  which  to  accomplish  any  particular 
piece  of  work,  watching  the  clock  and  pressing 
forward  to  achieve  this  end.  I  advised  her  to 
force  herself  to  be  steadfast ;  to  turn  neither  to 
the  right  nor  to  the  left,  either  to  talk  with  any 
one  or  look  about  her,  but  to  learn  to  work  while 
she  worked,  not  at  high-pressure  rate,  so  as  to 
cause  great  fatigue,  but  steadily  and  with  reason- 
able celerity.     Her   lack   of   system    I   took  in 


CARE  FOR  SERVANTS'    CHARACTER.     23 1 

hand,  arranging  her  work  for  her  until  she 
gradually  learned  to  do  this  herself;  and  as 
she  adopted  my  suggestions  and  tried  hard  to 
please  me,  she  soon  became,  not  a  very  rapid 
worker,  but  one  who  accomplished  considerable, 
and  was  indeed  a  valuable  servant." 

"  Mrs.  Hughes,  you  were  speaking  of  the 
moral  effect  a  mistress  might  have  upon  her 
servants'  character,"  said  Dolly.  "  Do  you  ever 
try  to  impress  any  religious  truths  upon 
them  ? " 

"This  is  a  difficult  question  to  answer  in 
small  space.  My  own  convictions  have  under- 
gone great  changes  in  the  past  few  years  ; 
or,  to  speak  more  exactly,  whereas  formerly  I 
never  had  any  real  convictions,  but  merely 
accepted  without  examination,  and  repeated 
verbally,  the  beliefs  of  some  other  people,  I 
now  have  earnest  convictions  of  my  own.  Re- 
ligion, to  my  mind,  is  a  much  more  diffused 
thing  than  I  used  to  consider  it.  I  can  think 
of  those  whose  every  day  is  a  Sabbath,  —  whose 
whole  lives  are  sweetened  and  purified  by  the 
love  of  God,  whose  every  act  glorifies  Him  and 
makes  the  art  of  living  well  a  little  clearer  and 
easier  for  some  one  else,  who  would  neverthe- 
less be  excluded  by  the  severely  Orthodox  from 
a  list  of  Christians  because  they  believe  in  God's 
future  as  well  as  present  mercy  ;  believe  that  the 


232  THE  BIDDY  CLUB. 

story  of  Adam  and  Eve  is  a  parable,  as  well  as 
the  story  of  Jonah  and  some  others.  It  is  my 
belief  that  in  general  the  more  attention  we  pay 
to  forms  and  ceremonies,  to  theology,  that  purely 
human  structure,  the  less  attention  we  pay  to 
religion,  God's  structure.  There  are,  of  course, 
exceptions  to  this  rule.  I  think  of  some  to-day 
who  are  of  the  straitest  sect,  who  would  deem 
they  did  wrong  to  walk  with  a  member  of  their 
own  family  on  Sunday  afternoon,  or  to  write  a 
letter  to  a  mother  on  the  Sabbath,  who  are 
nevertheless  lovely  characters.  With  my  belief, 
of  course  I  think  that  the  harness  they  wear 
hampers  and  ties,  denying  to  them  that  breadth 
and  depth  of  character  which  is  so  forcible  in 
doing  good  ;  denies  to  them  the  enjoyment  of 
that  love  and  freedom  which  is  the  outgrowth  of 
truth  ;  and,  of  course,  I  believe  that  such  a  har- 
ness is  of  human  workmanship,  and  in  no  sense 
divine.  In  the  main,  as  far  as  I  have  seen,  there 
are  very  few  happy  families  where  such  a  code 
is  in  order  ;  very,  very  few  where  the  result  of 
such  rigidity  is  not  most  grievous  for  some  of 
the  children  ;  and  I  must  say  I  have  as  yet  seen 
very  few  such  households  where  the  servants 
were  won  to  Christ.  You  will,  of  course,  con- 
clude that  I  am  in  favor  of  comparatively  few 
forms  and  ceremonies,  and  that  I  think  the 
greater   number  of   even    these   few  should    be 


CARE  FOR  SERVANTS'    CHARACTER.     233 

flexible,  and  subject  to  the  change  demanded  by 
our  growing  knowledge,  —  that  is,  growing  if  we 
are  keeping  abreast  of  the  great  waves  of  theo- 
loo-ical  thought,  if  we  are  standing  in  the  stream 
of  light  which  the  Sun  of  Righteousness  is  shed- 
ding upon  us  in  this  age.  Some  things  never 
will  change,  and  to  these  we  cannot  cling  too 
lovingly,  —  that  it  is  right  to  be  pure,  to  be  un- 
selfish, to  be  kind,  to  be  diligent  and  brave  in 
doino;  our  work  in  this  world,  —  our  little  or 
much,  according  to  our  strength  and  gifts,  to 
enlighten  and  ennoble  mankind ;  and  all  this 
for  Christ's  sake.  And  if  we  so  live  we  shall 
have  no  need  to  set  our  servants  lessons  in 
the  Catechism,  or  talk  religion  to  them,  to  con- 
vince them  that  we  are  Christians.  If  we  take 
a  human  interest  in  them ;  if  we  continually 
set  before  them  high  motives  for  doing  well 
even  the  most  humble  work  ;  if  we  deal  kindly, 
justly,  charitably,  honorably,  patiently  with  them, 
—  in  short,  if  we  live  our  religion,  we  have  small 
need  to  talk  it.  Do  not  understand  me  to  dis- 
approve of  the  '  word  fitly  spoken.'  All  I  urge 
is  fewer  religious  words  and  more  religious  acts 
on  the  part  of  mistresses  in  general.  I  am 
strongly  in  favor  of  letting  servants  know  for 
whose  sake  and  because  of  whose  love  you  are 
trying  to  do  right  ;  but  I  think  that  you  must 
win  their  respect  and  confidence  by  your  treat- 


234  THE  BIDDY  CLUB. 

ment  of  them  before  your  words  will  have  any 
good  effect." 

"  Mrs.  Hughes,  do  you  beheve  in  family 
prayers  ?  "  asked  a  Silent  Member. 

*'  Yes,  for  those  who  delight  in  such  service  ; 
but  if  any  of  the  family  are  in  any  way  compelled 
to  come,  I  think  the  effect  is  most  injurious.  I 
was  once  spending  the  summer  in  a  quiet  place, 
and  at  that  time  it  seemed  to  be  fitting  that  my 
nurse  and  myself  should  study  our  Bible  lesson 
together,  and  we  enjoyed  it  very  much.  But  at 
another  time  it  might  not  have  been  as  pleasant 
to  the  girl.  It  is  always  disastrous  to  try  to 
force  anything  of  this  kind.  Two  truths  have 
been  borne  in  upon  my  innermost  belief  by 
my  experience  in  life,  and  engraven  there  in 
golden  letters,  —  there  cannot  be  too  much 
love  ;  there  cannot  be  too  great  liberty.  Li- 
cense is  not  liberty,  and  fooHsh  fondness  is  not 
love  ;  but  love  —  real  love  —  and  true  liberty  can 
never  injure.  There  are  to-day  many  parents 
clutching  their  little  reins  of  authority,  at  the 
end  of  which  are  children  fretting  and  fuming, 
checked  in  their  growth,  and  looking  forward 
to  their  coming  of  age.  If  those  parents  had 
but  the  wisdom  to  drop  the  lines  and  utter 
merely  an  occasional  word  of  counsel  and  a 
frequent  word  of  love,  the  children  whom  they 
fancy  would  bound  away  and   leap  over  some 


CARE  FOR  SERVANTS'    CHARACTER.     235 

precipice,  were  they  given  a  moment's  freedom, 
would  merely  graze  in  the  beautiful  pastures 
which  line  either  side  of  the  journey  of  life, 
and  would  grow  in  grace  as  rapidly  as  a  house 
plant  grows  in  beauty  when  set  out  in  the  soft 
spring  showers  and  the  glad  spring  sunshine. 
Liberty  is  a  great  principle  of  good  government, 
and  it  applies  as  forcibly  to  the  home  as  to  the 
nation.  Remember  this  in  dealing  with  both 
children  and  servants:  what  you  cannot  achieve 
by  moral  suasion,  with  any  creature  who  has  a 
mind,  is  generally  best  unachieved.  Babies 
sometimes  have  to  be  forced,  but  older  chil- 
dren may  be  won." 

The  meeting  was  rather  short  this  time,  as 
Mrs.  Hughes  had  another  engagement,  and  no 
one  felt  like  attempting  to  fill  her  place.  For 
myself,  I  thought  it  was  better  to  have  the  ladies 
go  home  when  they  did,  for  I  was  certain  they 
had  been  fed  all  the  meat  they  could  digest  that 
time.  Indeed,  I  felt  that  if  they  digested  half 
that  had  been  given  them,  their  lives  would 
undergo  quite  a  change  for  the  better. 


236  THE  BIDDY  CLUB. 


CHAPTER    XV. 

HOMES,    NOT   HOUSES. 

I  AM  not  at  all  sure  that  Mrs.  Hughes  had 
in  mind  any  definite  subject  for  discussion 
when  the  ladies  gathered.  Possibly  she  had,  but 
I  cannot  believe  it  was  the  one  she  really  took 
up,  for  her  remarks  bore  every  sign  of  being 
extemporaneous.  There  is  such  a  vast  difference 
between  the  various  styles  of  conversation  ! 
Sometimes,  to  a  chosen  few,  we  evolve  a  line 
of  thought  upon  which  we  have  studied  so  much 
that  our  words  march  forth  like  a  well-drilled 
troop  of  soldiers  ;  sometimes  we  argue,  leaping 
from  one  point  to  another,  as  a  chamois  leaps 
from  rock  to  rock,  and  gaining  our  summit  amid 
a  certain  enthusiasm  of  our  physical  and  mental 
being,  spurred  to  unexpected  and  hitherto  un- 
attained  heights  by  the  quickening  influence  of 
other  minds.  And  sometimes  —  how  shall  I 
express  it.-* — sometimes  a  chord  of  music,  a 
look  upon  a  dear  face,  or  perhaps  some  one 
of  life's  too  common  tragedies,  will  fall  upon  a 
sensitive,  highly-wrought  nature.    Those  vibrant 


HOMES,   NOT  HOUSES.  237 

Strings  which  run  betwixt  the  heart  and  brain 
will  quiver,  and  set  both  organs  vibrating,  and 
then  it  is  as  if  the  soul  were  melted  and  poured 
forth.  It  is  a  species  of  talk  which  can  never 
be  written,  never  repeated.  It  is  born  in  an 
instant,  and  it  dies  as  quickly,  save  in  the  stirred 
hearts  of  those  who  listen  ;  there  it  must  always 
live. 

I  noticed  upon  the  day  of  which  I  am  trying 
to  give  an  account,  that  the  Pale  Lady  looked 
paler  than  usual,  sadder  too,  if  possible.  In- 
deed, there  was  something  in  her  face  which 
arrested  my  attention,  and  through  my  mind 
there  flashed  a  fear  that  whatever  her  work 
here  might  be,  it  was  almost  accomplished. 
There  were  two  or  three  other  faces  there  that 
day  that  I  thought  looked  tired,  —  more  than 
that,  discouraged.  I  know  that  Mrs.  Hughes 
saw  all  this  in  an  instant,  and  that  it  stirred  her 
heart.  For  a  few  moments,  while  the  ladies 
were  gathering,  she  sat  silent  and  absorbed ; 
then,  when  all  was  still,  she  began  with  slow 
speech,  and  a  quiet  voice  :  — 

"  My  heart  is  very  full  to-day,  and  I  wish  I 
could  speak  to  you  as  I  feel.  I  am  often  moved, 
when  I  turn  my  mind  to  this  common  phenome- 
non of  life, —  the  great  that  lies  in  the  small. 
Viewed  in  one  way,  nothing  could  seem  more 
practical,  less  heroic,  more  devoid  of  sentiment, 


238  THE  BIDDY  CLUB. 

than  housekeeping,  and  carried  on  as  it  is  by 
many  women,  it  certainly  looks  petty  ;  but  all 
this  is  wrong.  When  we  view  it  in  its  true 
light,  when  we  pierce  to  the  centre,  we  are 
almost  startled.  To-day  the  past  rises  in  my 
mind.  Perhaps  I  have  given  you  the  impression 
that  after  a  short  period  of  study  I  thoroughly 
mastered  my  household,  and  henceforth  knew 
no  back-sets  or  trials.  But  this  would  be  untrue; 
for  long  after  I  had  apparently  learned  every 
detail  of  housekeeping,  I  was  often  overwhelmed 
with  such  a  sense  of  failure  as  I  cannot  express 
to  you,  but  which  your  own  lives  will  enable  you 
to  understand  without  the  aid  of  weak  words. 
A  woman's  work  is  infinitely  harder  than  a 
man's,  because  more  comprehensive.  Let  her 
be  the  best  of  housekeepers,  —  if  she  be  a 
wife,  if  she  be  a  mother,  she  will  still  see  be- 
hind her  many  failures,  and  before  her  many  dif- 
ficult and  almost  impossible  duties.  A  woman's 
work  involves  ethical  even  more  than  practical 
questions.  Beyond  and  above  her  actual  house- 
keeping there  arises  in  her  mind  a  vision  of  an 
ideal  housekeeping.  She  has,  perhaps,  a  per- 
fect ideal,  and  to  this  she  clings,  in  hope  some- 
times, but  more  often  in  sorrow,  and  it  may 
be  in  despair.  It  is  better  to  face  the  truth  ; 
no  man  in  this  world — this  world  that  is  but 
the    threshold   of   another  —  is    going    to   fully 


HOMES,   NOT  HOUSES.  239 

understand  the  greatness  and  beauty  of  your 
aspiration,  nor  the  meaning  of  your  failures. 
My  heart  is  so  often  stirred  within  me  by  these 
thoughts.  I  look  abroad,  and  I  hear  one  deed 
after  another  called  noble.  I  hear  the  word 
'  hero,'  and  then  my  eyes  turn  to  some  of 
the  humblest  and  simplest  homes  in  our  land  ; 
there  I  see  some  tired  mother-face,  and  I  say, 
'  herome. 

"  Do  you  think,  Mrs.  Hughes,  that  a  woman 
can  be  a  heroine  in  a  quiet  home  .'' "  asked  the 
Pale  Lady. 

"  I  know  it !  "  Mrs.  Hughes  answered,  and 
her  face  and  words  fairly  glowed,  "  and  God 
knows  it  too  !  Oh,  how  He  looks  upon  this  ! 
How  far  He  sees  !  A  woman  has  been  tried 
beyond  her  physical  strength.  She  is  impa- 
tient with  servants,  children,  and  husband  ; 
they  call  her  ugly.  She  had  meant  to  be  so 
different,  and  she  is  broken  with  a  sense  of 
failure.  But  God  looks  at  her  and  He  says, 
'  You  are  tired,  my  child  ;  you  have  nobly  tried 
and  you  have  won.  You  do  not  know  it  yet, 
but  you  have  won.'  Right  in  some  of  the  hum- 
blest homes  of  our  land  there  are  women  whose 
daily  life  is  one  long  thought  for  others,  one 
sacrifice  of  self.  They  are,  perhaps,  impatient 
at  times,  despondent,  utterly  discouraged  ;  but 
God  is  watching  them,  and  His  hand  is  full  of 


240  THE  BIDDY  CLUB. 

laurels.  Some  day  they  will  know  all.  Some 
day;  some  day.  I  believe  that  many  a  woman 
lies  down  here  to  sleep,  feeling  that  her  work  is 
all  undone,  her  life  a  failure,  and  in  that  other 
world,  where  light  is  so  abundant,  she  is  awak- 
ened by  the  touch  of  a  crown,  —  a  victor's  crown. 
I  beg  you,  dear  friends,  to  think  of  all  this  when 
your  hearts  are  ready  to  sink  within  you;  believe 
it  with  all  your  souls,  and  it  will  bring  a  calm 
and  lofty  peace  into  your  discouraged  lives. 
You  are  keeping  homes,  not  houses;  do  you 
think  of  that  ?  To  husband,  children,  and  ser- 
vants your  influence  goes  out  continually,  and 
in  the  next  world  you  shall  see  the  fruits  of 
your  work.  Do  not  think  of  it  as  small.  It  is 
the  noblest  on  earth  ;  there  is  nothing,  I  am 
persuaded,  in  office,  hall,  or  senate-chamber, 
which  in  God's  sight  can  equal  this  work  which 
is  appointed  unto  woman  in  her  own  little  home. 
And  it  is  not  always  the  work  itself,  it  is  the 
fitness  of  the  worker  which  results  in  perfection. 
Look  at  Christ;  I  have  often  thought  He  only 
assumed  a  man's  form,  because  of  the  greater 
facility  it  afforded  Him  for  commingling  with 
all.  His  nature  was  that  of  a  strong,  noble, 
loving  woman,  and  I  cannot  help  believing  that 
every  such  woman  can  come  nearer  unto  Him 
in  her  daily  life  and  work  than  it  is  possible 
for  any  man  to  approach.     It  is  the   physical. 


HOMES,   NOT  HOUSES.  241 

the  weak,  tired  physical  alone,  which  gives  the 
impression  of  failure.  Remember  that.  Often 
when  you  think  you  are  lacking  in  skill  you  are 
simply  lacking  in  sleep  ;  often  when  you  think 
you  need  more  patience,  more  virtue  of  every 
kind,  you  only  need  rest.  It  is  pleasant,  more 
than  that,  it  is  helpful  and  stimulating,  to  receive 
an  appreciative  sympathy  from  those  for  whom 
one  toils  ;  but  do  not  live  upon  the  hope  of  this, 
for  it  will  often  be  withheld.  And  do  not  let 
this  denial  break  you.  Look  up,  when  there  is 
nothing  of  encouragement  below, — look  up,  and 
you  will  see  tender  eyes  and  outstretched  arms  ; 
such  pity,  sympathy  ;  such  marvellous,  perfect 
understanding  and  love  leaning  down  to  you 
from  out  of  heaven.  '  Be  ye  strong  therefore, 
and  let  not  your  hands  be  weak,  for  your  work 
shall  be  rewarded.'  Remember  that.  Forget  all 
else  if  you  will,  but  oh,  remember  that ! " 

The  Pale  Lady's  face  was  very  white,  but  her 
eyes  were  tearless.  She  sat  there,  listening 
quietly,  with  that  strange  look  that  seemed  to 
me  born  in  another  world.  I  contrasted  her 
face,  on  this  day,  with  that  which  she  had  worn 
during  the  first  meetings  of  the  Club,  —  that 
listless,  indifferent  face,  —  and  I  was  moved  as  I 
began  to  realize  something  of  what  Dolly's  Club 
had  done  for  her.  Surely  here  was  an  instance 
of  that  phenomenon  of  life, —  the  great  contained 

16 


242  THE  BIDDY  CLUB. 

within  the  small.  I  glanced  from  one  to  another 
of  the  ladies,  and  saw  a  deep  interest  pictured  on 
every  face.  My  Sprightly  Friend  seemed  quite 
changed,  for  her  gayety  had  vanished,  and  as 
she  listened  to  Mrs.  Hughes's  tender  words  she 
quietly  wiped  her  tears  away.  "  I  dare  say,"  I 
thought  to  myself,  "  she  has  had  her  trials,  for  all 
she  usually  seems  so  merry  ;  her  husband  is  a 
hot-tempered  fellow,  and  I  've  no  doubt  he  has 
often  been  unkind  and  unjust  to  her."  Just  then 
I  glanced  at  my  little  woman.  In  all  my  life  I 
don't  think  that  I  ever  before  had  quite  such  a 
sensation  —  Dolly  was  crying  ! 

I  am  ashamed  to  say  that  I  felt  a  hot  wave 
of  resentment  flash  over  me.  I  had  not,  perhaps, 
been  a  model  husband,  but  I  was  a  pretty  good 
sort  of  fellow,  and  I  felt  in  a  manner  irritated 
and  wronged  by  Dolly's  tears. 

The  meeting  was  a  brief,  quiet  one  that  day. 
No  one  seemed  to  feel  like  talking  when  Mrs. 
Hughes  finished.  I  suppose  it  is  seldom  or 
never  that  women  can  talk  freely  of  those  things 
which  most  deeply  affect  and  influence  their 
lives,  for  they  must  be  fearful  that  they  will  let 
fall  the  curtain  that  conceals  some  one  of  the 
many  skeletons  of  which  most  houses  have  their 
share.  And  so  they  chatter  of  the  nothings  of 
their  existence ;  but  when  the  great  themes  are 
touched  they  withdraw  within   themselves  and 


HOMES,   NOT  HOUSES.  243 

keep  silent,  and  some  of  them,  —  yes,  I  have 
seen  it,  —  some  of  them  creep  away  hke  wounded 
deer.  And  so  I  knew  that  their  silence,  on  the 
day  of  which  I  am  writing,  grew  out  of  no  lack 
of  interest,  but  rather  the  reverse.  Indeed,  I 
am  certain  that  at  no  time  since  the  forming  of 
the  Club  had  the  impression  of  any  meeting 
been  as  deep.  As  for  myself,  I  did  not  meet 
Dolly,  as  was  my  custom,  after  the  ladies  had 
dispersed,  to  have  our  usual  chat  over  what  was 
said,  and  my  report  thereof.  Instead,  I  took  my 
hat,  and  going  out  of  a  side  door  left  the  house. 
I  had  no  errand,  nor  any  particular  intent,  other 
than  to  avoid  talking  with  Dolly  for  a  time. 
But  as  I  walked,  my  feet  led  me  as  usual  to  the 
path  along  the  lake.  I  can  readily  understand 
that  there  is  truth  in  the  assertion  that  the  Alps 
have  had  no  little  share  in  the  formation  of 
Swiss  character,  for  I  have  so  often  experienced 
the  impossibility  of  harboring  petty  thoughts 
in  the  presence  of  Nature's  grandeur.  That 
day  the  lake  was  still,  albeit  it  was  shaded  by  a 
cloud.  Far  away  it  stretched,  and  with  it  my 
thoughts  expanded,  ran  backward,  far  backward, 
and  forward,  perhaps  not  so  far,  for  I  thought 
of  Death, — and  who  knows  how  near  he  may 
stand  at  any  time  1  I  turned  me  to  the  past, 
and  one  scene  after  another  recurred  to  me.  I 
saw  Dolly's  face.     Once  it  was  tired.     I   came 


244  THE  BIDDY  CLUB. 

home  and  found  her  so  ;  she  spoke  impatiently 
to  me  when  I  threw  my  overcoat  down  in  the 
parlor,  and  I  called  her  cross,  and  she  burst  into 
tears  and  left  the  room.  I  was  too  proud  to  seek 
her  and  learn  the  trouble,  and  then  say  I  was 
sorry.  Oh  that  miserable,  contemptible  pride, 
which  prevents  us  from  saying  we  are  sorry ! 
When  I  saw  Dolly  next,  she  smiled  and  talked  as 
usual,  and  I  let  what  I  deemed  her  nonsense 
pass  ;  but  when  I  thought  it  all  over,  I  knew 
better.  She  was  tired  ;  perhaps  she  had  been 
trying  especially,  and  perhaps  things  had  gone 
wrong.  Many  a  time  when  I  have  come  home 
from  my  office  all  out  of  sorts,  Dolly  has  bright- 
ened the  fire,  as  well  as  her  face,  and  smoothed 
the  entire  home  for  me,  till  I  was  won  to  tell  her 
what  had  tried  me.  And  as  I  walked  along  the 
lake  that  day  I  could  feel  her  soft  arms  around 
my  neck,  and  her  kisses  on  my  face,  and  hear 
her  bright,  cheerful  voice,  made  soft  and  tender 
with  love,  saying,  "  Never  mind,  dear,  never 
mind."  Did  I  comfort  her  so  when  she  needed 
help }  I  could  have  beaten  myself,  I  felt  so 
miserable,  so  contemptible  !  "  The  weaker  sex 
indeed  ! "  I  thought  with  growing  indignation. 
"  How  heavily  we  lean  upon  them,  and  how  they 
support  and  uphold  us  ;  and  when  they  turn  to 
us  in  an  hour  of  need,  how  we  give  way  beneath 
their  weight,  and  make  them  realize  that  they 


HOMES,   NOT  HOUSES.  245 

must  stand  alone !  "  Let  who  will  call  me  a 
woman  !  If  I  am  womanly,  I  am  proud  of  it,  and 
I  feel  no  shame  in  saying  that  my  eyes  became 
too  dim  to  see  the  lake  that  day.  Ashamed 
I  am  of  my  pettiness  —  ay,  but  not  of  my 
sorrow ! 

A  lake  breeze  had  chilled  the  air  before  I 
turned  my  steps  that  day,  and  by  the  time  I 
reached  home  it  was  really  cold  and  raw  ;  so  it 
was  comforting  to  see  the  glow  of  our  library  fire 
shine  from  out  the  window.  Right  cheerily  it 
burned ;  and  I  hurried  toward  it  with  an  eager 
feeling  which  I  could  scarcely  explain  to  myself, 
for  certainly  I  was  not  cold  after  my  long,  rapid 
walk.  I  saw  Dolly,  my  household  fairy,  my 
cricket  on  the  hearth,  moving  about  the  room 
in  that  way  she  had,  so  still  and  yet  so  buoyant. 
I  have  never  seen  any  other  woman  who  con- 
veyed just  that  impression  of  strength,  affection, 
and  good  cheer,  by  her  mere  presence.  Dolly 
was  my  ideal  of  the  union  of  brightness,  courage, 
and  gentleness.  Had  I  ever  told  her  so  .?  No ! 
How  many  things  we  men  forget  to  say,  or  think 
it  not  worth  while,  or  perchance  fancy  will  be 
taken  for  granted !  Do  we  fancy  that  our  dis- 
pleasure will  be  taken  for  granted  .''  No  !  We 
never  fail  to  speak  of  that.  I  was  out  of  pa- 
tience with  my  clumsy,  blundering  sex  that 
night,  and  I  hurried  forward  with  but  one  object 


246  THE  BIDDY  CLUB. 

in  my  mind,  and  that  the  opposite  of  the  object 
with  which  I  had  left  home.  I  am  not  an  im- 
pulsive man,  else  I  think  I  should  have  clasped 
my  little  woman  in  my  arms  as  soon  as  she 
opened  the  door  for  me.  Instead  of  that,  I  did 
not  even  speak,  but  hung  up  my  hat  in  silence, 
and  walking  into  the  library  took  a  seat  before 
those  cheery  logs.  Dolly  must  have  seen  by 
my  face  and  manner  that  something  was  the 
matter,  but  she  had  learned  by  experience  not 
to  seem  to  notice  my  moods.  Oh,  how  much 
managing  we  beasts  require !  It  is  degrading  to 
think  of  it !  I  looked  into  the  heart  of  the  fire, 
trying  to  speak  but  failing  every  time,  Dolly  the 
while  moving  deftly  about  the  room  and  setting 
everything  in  order.  How  many  of  her  little 
touches  went  to  make  up  the  beauty  of  our 
home !  At  last,  as  she  was  passing  me,  I 
reached  out  and  took  her  hand.  She  turned 
instantly,  and  laying  her  other  hand  upon  my 
head,  said  in  her  loving  voice,  — 

"  Dearie ! " 

"Dolly,"  I  said,  —  and  I  think  the  word  must 
have  been  almost  a  sob,  — "  have  I  made  you 
feel  badly  }  Have  you  ever  fancied  I  did  n't  ap- 
preciate your  efforts  ;  that  I  did  n't  think  you 
did  nobly  for  me }  Dolly !  "  and  Dolly  bent 
over  me,  but  what  she  said  I  cannot  repeat. 
There  are  words  too  precious,  too  sacred  for  any 


HOMES,   NOT  HOUSES.  247 

hearer  but  the  one  to  whom  they  are  whispered; 
there  are  scenes  too  holy  for  any  painting.  But 
I  can  say  that  as  I  sat  before  our  library  fire 
that  night,  with  my  wife's  hand  in  mine,  I  turned 
over  a  leaf  in  my  book  of  life,  and  never  will  I 
re-turn  it  unless  my  manhood  deserts  me. 


248  THE  BIDDY  CLUB. 


CHAPTER   XVI. 

SERVANTS'    TABLES,    WITH    AN    INTERRUPTION. 


,» 


"  1\ /[RS.  HUGHES,"  said  the  Imitation  Mil- 
IVX  lionnaire,  when  the  ladies  were  assem- 
bled once  more,  "  I  don't  think  you  have  said 
anything  about  a  servants'  table  as  yet.  I  sup- 
pose, of  course,  though,  you  don't  let  them  eat  in 
the  dining-room." 

"  No,  not  at  my  own  table  ;  but  when  I  lived 
in  a  very  small  house,  and  before  I  felt  able  to 
buy  a  gasoline  range,  my  kitchen  was  very  hot 
in  the  summer,  and  I  used  to  feel  it  was  wrong 
to  compel  my  servants  to  sit  down  and  eat  in 
such  an  atmosphere,  so  I  had  to  let  them  lift 
their  little  table,  after  it  was  set,  right  into  my 
dining-room,  and  eat  there.  I  never  could  un- 
derstand how  persons  of  refinement  could  allow 
servants  to  come  right  to  their  table  and  use  the 
same  table-cloth.  On  the  other  hand,  I  think 
that  most  servants  have  great  cause  to  complain 
of  the  way  they  are  served  in  this  respect.  If 
they  eat  in  the  kitchen,  they  rarely  have  a  sepa- 
rate table  for  that  purpose,  and  still  more  rarely 


SERVANTS'    TABLES.  249 

have  any  suitable  dishes.  I  have  always  taken 
great  pains  to  furnish  my  servants'  table  as 
completely  as  my  own,  though  of  course  more 
plainly.  I  bought  them  table-cloths,  napkins, 
knives  and  forks  and  spoons  (which  I  required 
them  to  keep  separate  from  the  cooking  utensils), 
spoonholdcr,  vegetable-dishes,  platter,  carving 
knife  and  fork." 

"  Did  they  make  use  of  all  these  things } " 
asked  a  Silent  Member,  with  a  peculiar  ex- 
pression of  countenance. 

"Yes,  but  not  without  some  trouble  on  my 
part.  I  know  what  you  mean  ;  and  it  is  un- 
doubtedly true  that  servants  will  complain  be- 
cause of  the  absence  of  some  things  which,  when 
furnished,  they  will  not  take  the  trouble  to  use. 
But  we  must  also  look  at  this  fact :  if  a  servant 
has  only  a  few  hurried  moments  in  which  to  eat 
her  dinner,  and  is  all  tired  out  at  that,  and  if  her 
kitchen  is  filled  with  soiled  dishes,  she  will  nat- 
urally clear  a  little  space  on  the  nearest  table, 
and  eat  a  sort  of  picnic  meal.  So  I  found  that, 
in  addition  to  furnishing  the  outfit,  I  must  fur- 
nish the  time  to  use  it  properly.  Matters  in  this 
respect  moved  but  haltingly,  until  I  had  kept 
house  two  years.  At  that  time  I  moved  into 
another  house  and  laid  down  some  new  rules. 
The  immediate  cause  of  these  rules  was,  that  I 
had  been  much  annoyed  by  my  servants  eating 


250  THE  BIDDY  CLUB. 

little  fancy  dishes  which  I  felt  belonged  only 
to  the  family.  For  instance,  sometimes  my 
husband  would  order  a  little  cake  and  cream  in 
the  evening.  The  next  day,  at  luncheon,  he 
would  ask  for  some  of  the  cake,  and  when  I 
made  inquiry  of  the  waitress,  I  would  learn  that 
it  was  all  gone.  Bananas  they  sometimes  ate 
for  breakfast ;  in  fact,  it  became  almost  impos- 
sible for  me  to  keep  any  little  dainty  article  of 
food  in  the  house  and  have  the  benefit  of  it. 
So  I  determined  to  make  a  great  change.  We 
have  dined  at  night  almost  all  our  married  life, 
and  so  I  set  half-past  twelve  as  the  hour  for 
the  servants'  dinner.  I  gave  regular  orders  for 
this  meal,  always  allowing  them  to  choose  the 
kind  of  meat,  though  I  told  them  I  did  n't  really 
desire  to  have  them  select  quail  on  toast.  With 
this  meat  I  always  ordered  two  kinds  of  vege- 
tables, also  consulting  their  taste  in  this  re- 
spect. Then  sometimes  I  provided  some  plain 
pickles,  or  buttermilk;  and  as  they  always  had 
a  nice  soup  for  their  first  course,  they  had  a  good 
dinner.  The  hour  for  their  breakfast  was 
quarter  before  seven,  and  the  main  articles  of 
their  meal  were  oatmeal,  coffee,  bread  and  but- 
ter. This  was  varied  occasionally  by  potatoes 
and  eggs  (cooked  in  different  ways),  and  also 
by  chipped  beef,  or  some  little  hash,  perhaps. 
Their  supper  was  usually  taken  at  half-past  six. 


SERVANTS'    TABLES.  25 1 

and  was  very  simple ;  tea,  baked  apples  or  some 
plain  jam,  and  bread  and  butter,  being  the  usual 
bill  of  fare,  though  sometimes  they  had  a  bit  of 
cheese  or  toast,  —  something  a  little  different. 
For  their  Sunday  dinner  they  always  had  a 
dessert,  —  some  simple  kind  of  pudding  or  pie. 
Our  own  hours  for  meals  were  half-past  seven 
for  breakfast,  quarter-past  one  for  luncheon, 
and  six  for  dinner." 

"  I  don't  think  my  servants  would  put  up  with 
such  an  arrangement,"  said  the  Imitation  Mil- 
lionnaire. 

"  I  had  one  girl  who  murmured  a  little,  but 
only  one.  I  always  gave  my  reasons  to  them. 
I  told  them  that  instead  of  gathering  up  what 
was  left  from  the  family  dinner,  they  had  their 
separate  dishes,  could  sit  down  and  enjoy  a 
quiet,  undisturbed  meal,  lasting  half  an  hour  or 
more,  and  could  have  their  food  freshly  cooked, 
and  hot  from  the  stove.  As  to  the  difference  of 
the  fare,  I  said  that  their  appetites  were  more 
vigorous  than  ours,  and  their  work  being  more 
physical  than  mental,  they  needed  different 
nourishment.  I  assured  them  that  if  ever  they 
suffered  from  any  lack  of  good,  plain,  nicely- 
cooked  food,  it  would  be  their  fault,  not  mine, 
for  I  would  provide  them  with  every  oppor- 
tunity to  set  a  good,  inviting  table.  As  for 
the  desserts  and  knick-knacks  which  we  occa- 


252  THE  BIDDY  CLUB. 

sionally  had,  I  told  them  they  were  mere  luxu- 
ries, really  unsuitable  for  their  needs,  and  that 
if  I  must  provide  such  things  for  my  entire  fam- 
ily, if  for  any,  we  should  all  have  to  go  without, 
for  they  were  too  expensive  to  be  eaten  in  quan- 
tities. My  servants  have  not  only  submitted 
to  this  arrangement,  but  really  enjoyed  it  much 
more." 

"  How  did  you  manage  to  give  your  nurse  an 
uninterrupted  dinner-time  ?  "    asked   Dolly. 

"I  could  not  always  do  this  when  my  baby 
was  very  young,  although  I  generally  managed 
it  so;  but  as  soon  as  the  baby  was  a  few  months 
old  we  arranged  to  have  his  hour  for  a  nap 
come  at  the  nurse's  dinner-time." 

"  How  about  the  soups  you  spoke  of  ? "  asked 
a  Silent  Member.  "  I  remember  you  once  said 
you  always  began  your  own  dinner  with  soup 
for  the  first  course." 

"  Yes  ;  I  always  had  enough  made  at  night  to 
serve  also  for  the  servants'  dinner  the  next  day. 
Anything  of  that  kind  was  not  injured  by  warm- 
ing over,  and  then  in  other  respects  it  was  fitted 
for  such  division.  But  most  of  the  dishes  were 
generally  kept  separate.  For  instance,  I  never 
furnished  anything  like  chickens  for  the  kitchen, 
except  upon  state  occasions ;  even  our  roasts  and 
cutlets  were  kept  for  our  own  table.  Generally 
the  servants  chose  pork  in  some  form,  or  liver. 


SERVANTS'    TABLES.  253 

or  sausage,  all  of  which  we  never  ate.  And 
when  they  had  a  roast  or  chops  it  was  kept  just 
for  their  own  table." 

"  How  did  you  manage,  Mrs.  Hughes,  about 
dinner  when  your  children  went  to  school .-' 
We  have  to  have  our  dinner  at  just  your  ser- 
vants' hour,  on  their  account,"  said  another 
Silent  Member. 

"  My  children  are  only  beginning  to  go  to 
school  now,  and  they  are  nearly  grown.  But  if 
I  were  forced  to  have  my  dinner  at  that  time,  I 
would  still  try  to  give  my  servants  a  separate 
hour  and  bill  of  fare,  but  of  course  it  would  be 
much  more  difficult  to  do  so.  We  generally 
dined  at  half-past  one  or  at  two  in  the  summer, 
until  we  had  a  gasoline  range,  because  the  stove 
heated  the  servants'  room  to  such  a  degree  that 
it  was  uninhabitable  for  them  at  night  if  we  had 
a  fire  in  the  kitchen  in  the  afternoon.  So  if  we 
had  dinner  at  night  during  the  hot  weather  it  was 
all  cold.  I  remember  a  month  when  I  taxed  my 
ingenuity  each  day  to  think  of  different  dishes 
that  were  nice  when  served  cold.  There  really 
are  quite  a  number,  —  roast  lamb  with  mint 
sauce,  mutton,  beef,  veal  loaf,  jellied  chicken, 
Saratoga  potatoes,  green  peas  boiled  with  mint 
(English-fashion),  beets,  lettuce,  tomatoes,  salads, 
and  indeed  many  others.  All  these  we  prepared 
early  in  the  day,  and  then  we  let  the  fire  go  out. 


2  54  THE  BIDDY  CLUB. 

But  I  never  rested  until  I  acquired  two  comforts 
for  my  servants,  —  a  gasoline  range  and  a 
dining-room." 

"  A  dining-room  !  "  cried  the  Imitation  Mil- 
lionnaire,  forgetting  her  elegance  and  her 
manners. 

"  I  should  call  it  a  sitting-room  also,  I  sup- 
pose. I  mean  a  room  near  the  kitchen,  in  which 
the  servants  could  have  their  meals,  and  in  which 
they  could  sit  when  not  working,  and  receive 
tl:ieir  company.  I  furnished  this  simply  but 
prettily,  —  ingrain  carpet,  little  pictures  and 
ornaments  on  the  walls,  a  few  books  on  a  shelf, 
a  table,  comfortable  chairs  of  course,  and  a  few 
flowers.  If  I  were  to  speak  of  that  room  in  a 
purely  selfish  way,  I  should  call  it  an  excellent 
investment ;  but  there  is  a  higher  view  to  be 
taken  of  life  than  the  moneyed  one,  and  there 
are  purer  motives  than  those  which  turn  merely 
on  selfish  pivots.  You  may  think  I  am  a  trifle 
foolish,  but  I  assure  you  that  when  I  had  fin- 
ished fitting  up  that  room  I  felt  the  warmth  and 
sunshine  of  God's  smile  on  my  heart.  I  let  my 
servants  help  me  in  the  work,  —  let  them  bring 
out  their  little  treasures,  their  pictures  of  the 
home  folks,  their  little  fancy  articles  received 
on  different  Christmas-days  ;  and  the  delight 
they  took  in  all  this,  and  the  eagerness  with 
which  they  watched  me  and  stood  ready  to  be 


SERVANTS'    TABLES.  255 

guided  in  matters  of  taste  by  my  opinion, 
touched    me   deeply." 

"  That  was  very  nice,  Mrs.  Hughes ;  but 
not  everybody  could  afford  to  do  so,"  said  the 
Practical  Person. 

"  No,  that  is  true  ;  but  I  think  there  are 
many  who  could  afford  it  if  they  wished.  At 
the  time  I  fitted  up  that  room  I  was  far  from 
rich.  My  house  was  of  fair  size,  but  was  very 
plainly  though  prettily  furnished.  The  only 
sofa  in  my  parlor  was  a  pine  box  I  had  uphol- 
stered myself,  and  other  things  were  in  keeping  ; 
my  dress  was  of  the  simplest  —  tasty,  I  hope, 
but  very  plain.  In  our  home  we  had  engravings, 
books,  and  little  fancy  articles  I  had  made,  and 
we  thought  it  all  very  beautiful,  and  we  were 
very,  very  happy ;  but  it  was  all  extremely  sim- 
ple. We  never  had  a  large  family  ;  we  did  not 
think  that  was  best,  or  even  right.  Three  chil- 
dren are  all  we  have  ever  had,  and  our  youngest 
was  not  born  until  we  were  quite  well  established, 
so  that  even  before  we  began  to  receive  an  income 
from  my  painting,  we  lived  very  comfortably, 
without  undue  anxiety,  and  I  trust  we  were  able 
to  contribute  our  mite  toward  helping  others," 

"  I  wonder,  Mrs.  Hughes,"  said  Dolly,  "  if 
you  do  not  feel  that  that  charity  which  should 
begin  at  home  ought  to  do  something  such  as 
you  have  described,  for  the  servants." 


256  THE  BIDD  Y  CL  UB. 

"Yes,  I  do.  I  cannot  help  believing  that 
in  God's  sight  they  are  as  worthy  objects  as 
any  of  those  whom  we  take  up  in  the  outside 
world." 

"  I  suppose  your  servants  had  palatial  bed- 
rooms," said  the  Sprightly  Lady. 

"  Hardly  that,  for  I  should  not  be  likely  to  give 
them  anything  so  much  better  than  my  own  ;  but 
they  always  had  a  comfortable,  well-furnished, 
even  pretty  room,  provided  with  closet,  bureau, 
and  a  wash-stand  furnished  with  toilet-set  and 
foot-tub,  —  everything  necessary  for  the  keeping 
of  their  persons  and  clothes  in  order.  I  took 
great  pains  to  see  that  this  room  was  warm  in 
winter  and  as  cool  as  possible  in  summer.  I 
once  lived  in  a  very  cold  climate,  and  I  found 
that  many  respectable  families,  who  doubtless 
called  themselves  Christian,  furnished  no  heat 
for  the  servant's  bedroom, —  that,  too,  when  this 
room  was  her  only  place  for  sitting,  excepting 
the  kitchen.  I  have  even  known  people  to  add 
parsimony  to  inhumanity,  and  begrudge  their 
servants  even  the  kitchen  fire  in  the  evening, 
expecting  them  to  go  to  bed  as  soon  as  their 
work  was  ended.  I  have  no  words  for  such 
people  ;  but  I  confess  that  it  is  a  satisfaction 
to  me  to  believe  that  such  treatment  does  not 
escape  God's  notice." 

"But,  Mrs.  Hughes,"  objected  the  Practical 


SERVANTS'    TABLES.  257 

Person,  "  some  girls  are  so  common  and  rough, 
it  does  not  seem  worth  while  to  try  to  do  any- 
thimr  for  them." 

"I  know  that  is  so  with  many;  and  for  that 
matter,  most  servants  have  very  immature  ideas 
on  the  subject  of  order  and  cleanliness  ;  but  I 
think  it  is  our  duty  to  strive  to  improve  them  in 
this  respect ;  to  surround  them  with  comfortable, 
pretty  furniture,  and  compel  them  to  take  care 
of  it.  Such  training  cannot  fail  to  have  a  good 
moral  effect.  I  have  often  heard  people  make 
remarks  of  this  kind,  when  fitting  up  a  servants' 
room,  'Oh,  I  '11  just  get  a  husk  mattress,  it  is 
good  enough  for  those  things!'  Women  who 
take  this  low  view  of  their  servants  will  gener- 
ally have  low  servants  to  deal  with." 

"Still,  Mrs.  Hughes,"  persisted  the  Practical 
Person,  "  I  think  it  does  not  pay  to  treat  all  of 
these  girls  so  well.  Many  of  them  are  so  un- 
grateful, that  after  you  have  done  everything  for 
them  they  will  suddenly  take  offence  and  walk 
off  and  leave  you  in  the  lurch." 

"  I  hardly  think  they  will,  if  the  good  treat- 
ment of  which  you  speak  has  been  judicious. 
I  have  rarely  had  that  experience  with  them, 
and  I  have  kept  house  for  many  years.  But 
even  if  there  is  such  a  chance,  I  think  we  should 
disregard  it.  Surely  we  are  high-minded  enough 
to  wish  to  do  right  by  our  servants,  because  it  is 

17 


258  THE  BIDDY  CLUB. 

right,  and  not  because  they  will  repay  us  for 
good  treatment." 

"Alas!  I  fear  everybody  has  not  climbed  to 
that  high  moral  plane.  I  know  I  often  feel  as  if 
I  needed  a  friendly  boost  to  help  me  up  there," 
said  the  Sprightly  Lady. 

"  Possibly  there  are  mistresses  who  need  to  be 
incited  by  the  hope  of  reward,  just  as  we  have 
to  incite  children.  Some  years  ago,  one  of  my 
children  disliked  his  bath,  and  cried  over  it. 
So  I  used  to  offer  him  some  extra  fruit  with  his 
breakfast  if  he  would  go  through  the  trying 
ordeal  without  a  murmur.  I  remember  his  ask- 
ing his  nurse  one  morning  what  he  was  to  have 
for  that  breakfast  if  he  did  n't  cry.  And  she 
answered  that  he  must  be  good  anyhow,  and 
not  just  because  he  was  going  to  get  something. 
I  was  much  pleased  that  she  took  such  a  view 
of  the  case ;  nevertheless,  I  told  her  that  the 
moral  sense  in  little  children  was  very  weak, 
and  that  we  first  had  to  incite  them  to  good 
conduct  by  making  such  conduct  profitable  to 
them  ;  then  when  they  were  older  grown,  and 
stronger  morally,  we  could  appeal  to  higher 
motives." 

"  That  reminds  me,"  said  Dolly,  "  of  an  arti- 
cle I  lately  read  in  the  '  North  American  Re- 
view.' It  was  entitled  '  Practical  Penology,'  and 
it  strongly  advocated  dealing  with  criminals  as 


SERVANTS'    TABLES.  259 

you  dealt  with  your  children,  —  letting  them  see 
that  it  paid  to  be  good,  and  that  suffering  inevita- 
bly follows  wrong-doing.  This  article  described 
the  Folsom  State  Prison,  in  California,  in  which 
the  worst  behaved  and  the  least  industrious 
prisoners  are  fed  at  the  worst  table,  and  those 
who  are  more  correct  and  industrious  fare  better 
as  regards  what  they  have  to  eat,  —  the  best 
table  being  occupied  by  the  best  men.  In  dis- 
missing a  man,  when  his  term  of  imprisonment 
has  expired,  the  warden  impresses  on  his  mind 
the  fact  that  the  outer  world  is  much  like  the 
prison;  certain  comforts  and  privileges  in  life 
being  reserved  for  those  who  work  and  obey  the 
laws." 

"  Such  a  system,  I  think,  would  result  much 
better,"  said  Mrs.  Hughes,  "than  any  attempt 
to  use  merely  moral  motives  with  those  who  are 
as  ignorant  as  most  prisoners  are.  The  moral 
need  not  be  wholly  omitted,  it  seems  to  me,  but 
it  should  be  driven  home  by  the  practical  motive. 
For  those  mistresses  who  have  not  yet  attained 
the  moral  strength  necessary  to  doing  right  by 
their  servants,  whether  they  are  rewarded  or 
not,  I  would  like  to  say  that  my  own  experience 
and  the  experience  of  many  others  proves  that 
in  the  long  run  kind  and  judicious  treatment  of 
servants  pays  excellently  well.  And  certainly 
we  are  in  need  of  some  paying  investments  of 


26o  THE  BIDDY  CLUB. 

this  kind.  When  I  look  abroad  over  our  land 
and  see  the  wide-spread  trouble  that  mistresses 
are  having  with  their  service,  I  feel  that  it  is 
time  we  took  the  matter  in  hand.  I  am  filled 
with  grief  when  I  think  of  the  great  and  disas- 
trous effect  this  trouble  has  upon  our  women  — 
our  nation.  Some  ten  years  ago  a  friend  of 
mine  went  to  England  to  fill  an  important  edu- 
cational position,  and  she  wrote  me  of  the  re- 
markable difference  in  that  intelligence  which 
comes  from  reading,  from  keeping  posted  on  the 
topics  of  the  day,  which  she  noticed  between  the 
English  and  American  woman ;  and  this  differ- 
ence she  attributed  mainly  to  the  comparative  per- 
manency of  service  in  England.  No  doubt  it  has 
a  great  effect.  Reading,  study,  thought,  all  must 
have  quiet  of  mind  and  body ;  they  fly  before  con- 
fusion, haste,  or  excitement.  Now,  such  quiet  is 
impossible  to  a  housekeeper  whose  time  is  liable 
to  be  broken  up,  and  her  entire  household  ar- 
rangements upset,  every  little  while,  by  the  loss 
of  one  servant  and  the  training  of  another.  I 
apprehend  we  would  have  better  and  more  intelli- 
gent mothers,  and  consequently  a  finer  race,  but 
for  these  servant  troubles.  The  question,  then, 
is  by  no  means  unimportant,  since  great  issues 
are  dependent  upon  its  successful  solving.  Nor 
do  I  consider  that  solving  a  hopeless  task,  by 
any  means.     I  am   more   and   more   convinced 


SERVANTS'    TABLES.  26 1 

that  the  main  fault,  in  this  trouble,  lies  at  the 

mistress's  door,  and  the   main   remedy   in    her 

hands.     Let  us  reform  ourselves,  and  we  shall 

find   that   we    have   gone   more   than    half-way 

toward  reforming  our  servants." 

Just  at  this  point  one  of  our  maids  appeared 

at   the   parlor   door,  but    before   she    had    time 

to  speak,  the  Pale  Lady's  little  boy  burst  into 

the  room,  and  running  to  his  mother,  sobbed 

out, — 

"  Mamma  !  mamma  !  come  home!  Papa  's  so 
sick  !  " 

There  was  a  slight  change  on  the  Pale  Lady's 
face,  as  she  instantly  rose  to  go  with  the  child. 
She  could  not  well  turn  any  paler  than  she  was 
already ;  it  was  not  that  I  noticed,  but  an  ex- 
pression of  self-control,  of  strength,  and  even  of 
support,  that  I  had  never  seen  her  wear  before. 
Dolly  immediately  offered  to  accompany  her, 
and  somewhat  to  my  surprise  the  offer  was 
accepted.  All  the  other  ladies  rose  as  these 
two  left,  and  after  a  few  quiet  words  dispersed. 

I  took  a  book  and  endeavored  to  pass  the 
time  until  Dolly's  return,  but  I  found  myself 
unable  to  fix  my  mind  upon  what  I  read.  I 
confess  that  the  Pale  Lady  had  taken  a  strong 
hold  upon  my  interest  and  sympathies,  and  at 
this  critical  juncture  I  was  busy  with  specula- 
tions as  to  what  particular  experience  she  was 

FOR  THE  HARD  OF  HEARING 


262  THE  BIDDY  CLUB. 

about  to  pass  through.  That  this  would  in  some 
way  prove  a  turn  in  her  lane,  I  felt  confident. 

It  was  over  an  hour  before  Dolly  appeared, 
and  for  a  short  time  after  coming  into  the  house 
she  was  unable  to  tell  me  anything,  so  deeply 
moved  was  she  by  what  she  had  seen.  At  last 
I  asked  the  question  I  was  really  eager  to  have 
answered,  — 

•'  Is  he  very  ill  ?  " 

"Yes,"  she  said,  "he  is  very  ill;  but.  Griff," 
she  added  with  a  sob,  "  they  love  each  other,  — 
they  really  do." 

That  last  might  not  have  seemed  strange  to 
many  hearers,  referring  as  it  did  to  husband  and 
wife ;  but  I  confess  it  astonished  me,  and  still 
more,  I  confess  that  I  felt  some  inward  doubt 
about  it  until  Dolly  had  sufficiently  recovered 
herself  to  say  more. 

The  poor  man,  she  told  me,  was  completely 
broken  down  ;  she  never  saw  any  one  more  so. 
For  a  long  time,  it  appeared,  he  had  been  toil- 
ing hard  in  his  business,  under  a  great  pressure 
of  anxiety,  and  now,  just  as  he  began  to  see 
the  dawn,  he  had  given  way.  He  had  been 
found  by  a  business  friend  lying  insensible  on 
the  floor  of  his  office,  and  so  carried  home. 
Dolly  said  that  when  she  and  the  Pale  Lady 
went  into  the  house  he  was  on  the  sofa,  at- 
tended by  one  of  the  gentlemen  who  had  rode 


SERVANTS'    TABLES.  263 

home  with  hhn.  His  wife  crossed  the  room 
quickly  and  softly,  and  knelt  beside  him  ;  and 
Dolly's  sobs  broke  forth  again  as  she  told  me 
how  feebly  and  pitifully  he  held  out  his  arms 
to  her  and  said,  — 

"  Millie  !  Millie  !  I  'm  done  for  now !  I  shall 
always  be  a  burden  to  you  !  " 

And  then  they  learned  that  his  lower  limbs 
were  both  paralyzed. 

Dolly  told  me  how  the  wife  soothed  and 
comforted  him. 

"  You  will  scarcely  credit  me.  Griff,  but  if  you 
could  have  seen  her  face,  —  if  you  could  have 
seen  them  both,  —  you  would  have  known  they 
loved  each  other.  I  crept  out  of  the  room,  for 
I  felt  I  had  no  right  to  stay." 

I  think  that  few  things  in  my  life  have  ever 
impressed  so  forcibly  upon  my  mind  the  strength 
of  the  tie  that  binds  husband  and  wife,  as  what 
Dolly  told  me  that  day.  These  two  in  by-gone 
years  had  doubtless  rejoiced  together  over  that 
first  cry,  that  wonderful  cry,  that  thrills  the  very 
soul  and  tells  a  young  father  and  mother  that 
they  —  they  have  a  little  child  ;  these  two  had 
sobbed  together  over  a  tiny  coffin,  had  watched 
together  through  solemn,  awful  night-hours,  be- 
side a  life  that  was  passing  out  of  this  world 
into  the  next ;  these  two  were  joined  by  that 
holy  bond  of  a  grief  which  God  alone  could  fully 


264  THE  BIDDY  CLUB. 

share.  And  though  the  years  had  dragged  on, 
and  coldness  and  petulance  had  divided  them, 
these  things  la}^  deep  in  their  hearts,  and  the 
hour  of  calamity  had  proved  a  resurrection-day. 

Dolly  had  lingered  about  the  house  some 
time,  although,  as  she  told  me,  there  was  not 
much  for  her  to  do  just  then.  I  felt  sure,  how- 
ever, that  she  had  done  much,  nevertheless, — 
soothing  the  children,  doubtless,  reassuring  the 
servants,  and  setting  in  motion  the  household 
machinery  that  had  been  checked  by  the  mas- 
ter's fall.  The  doctor  had  arrived  shortly  after 
the  Pale  Lady's  return,  and  had  assisted  to 
move  the  sick  man  to  his  room  ;  but  Dolly  had 
left  him  there,  and  did  not  know  as  yet  what  he 
thought  of  his  patient's  condition.  That  it  was 
very  serious,  any  one  could  see  ;  and  as  to  the 
end,  no  one  could  foretell  that  with  certainty. 

"Dolly,"  I  said,  —  for  my  mind  was  now  re- 
volving practical  questions,  —  "have  you  any 
idea  of  the  condition  there  financially?" 

"  Not  the  least ;  but  Mrs.  Hughes  is  over 
there  now,  and  if  there  is  anything  of  that  kind 
to  be  spoken  of  she  will  know  just  how  to  deal 
with  it." 

I  learned  afterward  that  this  subject  was  not 
touched  upon  that  night,  but  that,  won  by  Mrs. 
Hughes's  gentle  sympathy  and  understanding, 
the  Pale  Lady  talked  quite  freely  the  next  day. 


SERVANTS'    TABLES.  265 

and  said  they  had  every  prospect  of  compara- 
tive comfort  regarding  money  matters  in  the 
fall,  but  that  during  the  summer  her  husband's 
earninjrs  from  month  to  month  were  their  sole 
reliance.  During  his  illness  a  little  something 
would  still  come  to  them  from  the  office,,  but 
it  would  be  too  small  a  sum  for  their  support, 
and  she  must  in  some  way  add  to  the  income. 

For  several  days  Dolly  and  Mrs.  Hughes  were 
in  almost  constant  consultation,  and  I  had  the 
honor  to  be  frequently  called  upon  by  them. 
Meanwhile  the  sick  man's  condition  underwent 
but  little  change.  It  was  impossible,  the  doctor 
said,  to  foretell  the  end.  The  nervous  system 
had  been  greatly  overtaxed,  and  for  this  reason 
health,  if  it  ever  returned,  would  come  very 
slowly.  For  the  present  there  was  much, 
though  not  immediate,  danger  of  death.  To 
rebuild  the  system  was  necessary,  and  one  of 
the  first  essentials  was  perfect  quiet  of  mind 
and  body.  The  latter  was  easily  enough  ob- 
tained, but  the  former  was  a  more  difficult  mat- 
ter ;  for  although  the  sick  man  was  most  of 
the  time  in  a  semi-unconscious  state,  there 
were  hours  when  his  mind  was  quite  clear,  and 
then  he  was  disposed  to  worry  over  his  help- 
less condition  and  over  his  wife's  pecuniary 
strait.  So  we  all  felt  that  something  must  be 
done  at  once  to  set  his  mind  at  ease.     It  puz- 


266  THE  BIDDY  CLUB. 

zled  me,  I  must  confess,  to  try  to  think  of  some 
way  in  which  the  Pale  Lady  could  earn  money. 
It  would  in  no  wise  have  relieved  her  husband  or 
herself  to  give  them  anything ;  on  the  contrary, 
that  would  only  have  added  to  their  distress. 
The  Sprightly  Lady  had  joined  our  counsels, 
and  it  was  she  and  Dolly  who  helped  us  out  of 
this  dilemma  at  last. 

"  She  can  sew  !  "  Dolly  exclaimed  one  day ; 
"  she  is  a  beautiful  seamstress  ;  she  can  give 
sewing-lessons.     We  '11  get  her  up  a  class." 

"  And  she  can  dance,  too ! "  exclaimed  the 
Sprightly  Lady.  "It  seems  like  a  poor  time 
for  dancing,  I  know,  but  she  can  dance  to  good 
effect.  We  '11  get  her  up  a  dancing-class,  —  she 
can  have  both." 

It  did  seem  a  little  inappropriate  at  first,  but 
we  all  remembered  that  the  Pale  Lady  had  been 
a  beautiful  dancer  in  her  youth,  that  she  was 
remarkably  graceful  now ;  and  even  if,  in  her 
sad  married  life,  she  had  forgotten  much  of  this 
art,  she  could  easily  recall  it.  For  several  days 
Dolly,  Mrs.  Hughes,  and  the  Sprightly  Lady  did 
little  else  than  drive  around  —  not  together,  but 
separately —  in  search  of  pupils  for  the  Pale  Lady. 
They  were  aided  in  their  efforts  by  all  the  mem- 
bers of  the  Club,  and  indeed  some  others,  —  for 
a  few  of  my  gentleman  friends  and  myself  did 
what  little  we  could.     Of  course  they  first  made 


SERVANTS'    TABLES.  267 

known  their  plans  to  the  Pale  Lady  herself,  and 
she  gave  a  ready  and  grateful  consent  to  teach 
the  classes  if  they  were  formed.  At  the  end  of 
a  week  the  ladies  had  the  pleasure  of  announcing 
to  her  that  two  classes,  one  of  twenty-six  and 
another  of  twenty-eight  pupils,  were  ready  for 
her.  Her  income  from  these  would  be  some- 
thing over  thirty-five  dollars  a  week,  which 
would  place  her  beyond  all  occasion  for  anx- 
iety ;  and  although  she  would  have  to  give  up 
four  mornings  every  week  to  the  work,  she 
could,  with  good  servants,  she  said,  so  manage 
as  to  spare  the  time  without  much  trouble.  She 
was  further  relieved  by  having  her  three  little 
children  taken  by  friends  who  would  care  for 
them  tenderly.  Dolly  brought  one  to  our  home, 
and  Mrs.  Hughes  wished  to  take  the  other  two  ; 
but  the  Sprightly  Lady  insisted  upon  dividing 
this  pleasure  with  her.  Every  day  they  were 
taken  to  see  their  mother ;  and  although  she 
doubtless  missed  them  sorely,  their  absence 
must  have  been  a  great  relief  in  some  ways, 
since  it  lessened  her  cares,  and  enabled  her  to 
maintain  throughout  the  house  the  perfect  quiet 
their  father  needed.  Of  course  she  went  out  to 
her  classes,  —  one  of  them  meeting  at  Mrs. 
Hughes's,  and  the  other  at  the  house  of  another 
friend  whose  parlors  were  large.  I  really  think 
these  classes  were  of  great  benefit  to  the  Pale 


268  THE  BIDDY  CLUB. 

Lady  in  other  than  a  financial  sense ;  they 
seemed  to  rouse  her  interest,  her  spirit,  —  in  a 
manner  to  renew  her  youth.  She  was  indeed  a 
beautiful  seamstress.  It  is  a  pity  that  all  ladies 
are  not  the  same,  for  nice  sewing  is  such  a  re- 
fined, ladylike  accomplishment.  The  pupils  were 
taught  not  how  to  embroider  with  Arecene  and 
Kensington  stitch,  —  many  of  them  knew  that 
already,  —  but  how  to  hem  daintily,  fell  exquis- 
itely, and  darn  so  that  the  rent  became  almost 
an  ornament. 

With  her  other  class,  too,  the  Pale  Lady  suc- 
ceeded entirely.  Of  course  many  new  steps  and 
dances  had  been  introduced  since  her  youth,  but 
it  cost  her  no  effort  to  learn  all  these,  for  dancing 
was  as  natural  to  her  as  breathing. 

I  never  knew  what  her  husband  said  with 
regard  to  her  taking  the  support  of  the  family 
upon  herself;  it  was,  of  course,  contrary  to  his 
old  ideas  and  theories  for  a  woman  to  be  self- 
reliant  ;  but  I  have  the  belief  and  the  hope  that 
many  of  those  old  ideas  and  theories  were  shat- 
tered the  day  he  fell  so  heavily  on  his  office 
floor.  Life  is  a  queer  thing  :  it  has  ways  of 
convincing  a  man,  and  it  has  ways  of  ridding 
him  of  a  belief. 

It  was  manifest  to  all  who  entered  the  Pale 
Lady's  house,  that  a  great  change  had  taken 
place    in    its    management    in    the    last    three 


SERVANTS'    TABLES.  269 

months  ;  and  I  think  Dolly  was  fully  justified 
in  attributing  this  change  to  the  influence  of 
the  Club. 

"Griff,"  she  said,  one  day  after  we  had  been 
talking  of  the  sick  man,  "it  seems  a  little  strange 
to  think  how  he  is  now  taking  the  benefit  of 
what  he  not  only  never  aided  but  would  have 
done  his  utmost  to  defeat,  had  he  known  of  it. 
But  I  suppose  we  all  do  more  or  less  of  that,  — 
receive  benefit  from  what  we  have  never  helped 
along." 

"  Yes,  I  suppose  so,  though  the  thought  is 
humiliating.  Many  do  that  in  religion,  —  throw 
ridicule  upon  it  at  the  same  time  they  are 
greedily  living  on  its  benefits.  It  's  pretty 
small,  is  it  not  .'*  We  are  like  children,  —  too 
ignorant  to  know  what  's  for  our  best  good  ; 
and  we  sometimes  put  out  the  fire  that  would 
have  warmed  us,  because  we  fancy  it  is  needless 
or  dangerous." 


270  THE  BIDDY  CLUB. 


CPIAPTER    XVII. 

SIMPLIFYING   LIFE. 

THE  Club  missed  its  meeting  one  week, 
because  the  more  prominent  members 
were  fully  occupied  with  their  efforts  to  help 
the  Pale  Lady  through  her  trouble.  But  the 
next  week  it  met  as  usual,  and  to  every  one's 
surprise  the  Pale  Lady  herself  was  present. 

"These  discussions  have  done  so  much  for 
me,"  she  said  quietly,  "  I  could  n't  forego 
them ;  and  then,"  she  added  with  a  deep  flush 
of  pleasure,  —  the  first  flush  I  had  seen  on  her 
face  for  years,  —  "  my  husband  urged  me  to 
come." 

As  the  ladies  were  chatting  a  little  on  various 
subjects  preparatory  to  the  opening  of  the 
meeting,  I  was  thinking  of  Mrs.  Hughes's  last 
week's  work.  Some  had  been  so  blind  and 
ignorant  as  to  call  her  selfish  and  cynical,  be- 
cause she  spoke  against  the  fashion  of  making 
and  receiving  calls,  as  was  common  among 
ladies,  and  refused  to  indulge  in  it  herself  But 
all  who  were  really  acquainted  with  her  were 


SIMPLIFYING  LIFE.  2/ 1 

well  aware  of  the  fact  that  the  moment  she 
knew  of  any  persons  in  trouble  she  was  by  their 
side  if  possible.  She  seemed  to  look  upon  the 
aid  she  gave  as  the  most  simple,  natural  thing 
in  the  world. 

"  We  are  all  members  of  the  human  family," 
she  often  said,  "  and  if  our  brothers  or  sisters 
need  us,  ought  we  not  to  rally  round  them?" 

"  Mrs.  Hughes,"  said  the  Practical  Person, 
when  the  Club  was  called  to  order,  "  I  wish  you 
would  please  make  it  clearer  to  us  how  you 
have  managed  to  find  time  for  so  many  different 
things." 

"  One  reason  is,  I  think,  that  I  have  simplified 
life  as  much  as  possible.  As  the  world  grows 
in  size  and  knowledge,  work  is  both  diminished 
and  increased ;  much  of  this  increase  we  can- 
not avoid,  but  there  is  much  more  that  we  can. 
Life  is  too  complex,  and  we  must  simplify  it. 
I  simplified  my  table,  concentrating  my  chief 
efforts  upon  one  meal;  then  I  simplified  my 
dress  and  that  of  my  children;  simplified  my 
social  duties  and  pleasures ;  simplified  the  care 
of  my  children,  training  them  to  give  as  little 
trouble  as  possible  ;  and,  as  I  told  you  once, 
I  heartily  believe  in  simplifying  the  cares  of 
motherhood,  —  that  is,  by  having  fewer  children. 
Is  it  not  better,  far  better,  and  nearer  the  right, 
to  bring  but  few  children  into  the  world,  and  to 


2/2  THE  BIDDY  CLUB. 

give  to  those  few  a  good  constitution,  and  that 
training  and  education  which  shall  make  of  them 
splendid  men  and  women,  and  at  the  same 
time  preserve  one's  own  health  and  be  able 
up  to  the  last  to  guide  and  aid  these  children, 
rather  than  to  have  a  large  family,  some  of 
them  feeble,  and  all  more  or  less  lacking  in  men- 
tal and  moral  training  and  advantages,  and  end 
by  being  a  physical  and  nervous  wreck  one's 
self  ?  I  know  not  what  view  you  take  of  God, 
but  to  me  he  is  our  Father, — wise,  and  just, 
and  kind;  and  I  am  sure  he  never  intended  any 
such  condition  of  affairs  as  now  exists,  and  I 
am  equally  sure  that  in  process  of  time  such 
purification  of  hfe  and  character  will  take  place, 
that  this  condition  will  be  supplanted  by  one 
far  nobler  and  better.  When  I  hear  any  woman 
talk  of  the  inevitable,  and  of  what  we  must  ex- 
pect, being  women,  and  of  this  being  our  lot, 
and  we  born  to  it,  and  so  on,  I  feel  that  she  has 
gotten  behind  her  age  instead  of  ahead  of  it, 
and  is  using  what  little  strength  she  possesses 
to  drag  it  back  to  where  she  stands. 

"We  all  know  that  life  may  be  made  very 
different  in  the  hands  of  two  different  people. 
I  have  some  dear  friends  who,  albeit  they  pos- 
sess fine  characteristics,  have,  as  it  seems  to  me,  a 
most  mistaken  idea  of  proper  living ;  for  they  are 
rushed  along  so  fast  with  their  charities  and  their 


SIMPLIFYING  LIFE.  273 

social  duties  that  they  have  scarcely  a  chance 
to  breathe,  much  less  to  think.  Their  constitu- 
tions are  overstrained;  they  are  constantly  more 
or  less  tired,  even  jaded,  and  so  are  those  of 
their  household  who  try  to  join  them  in  their 
toils,  while  others  of  the  family  are,  owing  to 
their  different  natures  and  tastes,  repelled,  and 
so  perhaps  go  to  the  other  extreme  and  do  not 
give  their  share  of  aid.  Such  lives  are  most 
unfortunate,  it  seems  to  me,  for  they  do  violence 
to  the  physical  being,  and  utterly  destroy  that 
peace  and  quiet  which  is  the  only  proper  at- 
mosphere for  a  home,  —  the  only  atmosphere 
in  which  children  can  be  properly  reared  and 
equipped  for  life.  But  you  can  do  nothing 
with  such  people ;  they  mean  well  and  think 
they  are  doing  right,  and  their  many  estimable 
traits  win  your  respect  in  spite  of  their  mistakes. 
You  can  only  regret  that  the  energies  which 
would  accomplish  so  much  if  properly  directed 
should  be  so  perverted.  If  you  attempt  to 
talk  to  them,  they  will  perhaps  speak  of  the 
pressure,  the  intensity  of  the  age ;  will  say  that 
this  must  act  on  all  those  who  are  in  their 
proper  place  in  the  rank  and  file  of  battle ;  and 
then,  perhaps,  with  talk  of  drones  and  sponges, 
they  will  hurl  back  your  well-meant  words 
against  yourself  Such  people  can  scarcely 
realize  that  '  they  also    serve  who    only  stand 

18 


274  THE  BIDDY  CLUB. 

and  wait ;  *  still  less  can  they  realize  that  those 
who  quietly  and  steadily  pursue  a  systematic, 
well-thought-out  course  in  life,  will  probably  in 
the  end  accomplish  more  good  without  as  well 
as  within  the  family  circle  than  those  who  run 
through  life  at  such  high  rate  of  speed.  There 
is  a  chapter  in  that  inspiring  little  book  called 
'  Our  Country,'  on  intemperance,  in  which  the 
increase  of  this  vice  is  —  very  properly,  it  seems 
to  me  —  connected  with  the  increased  nervous- 
ness of  our  people,  and  this  nervousness  is 
attributed  partly  to  our  hurried  mode  of  life.  I 
am  sorry  the  writer  did  not  go  further  and  urge 
those  who  are  opposed  to  intemperance  to  use 
their  influence  against  this  rapid  way  of  living. 
I  think  that  although  some  will  disagree  with 
my  conclusions,  yet  all  will  concede  that  this 
subject  is  of  sufficient  importance  to  demand 
our  earnest  consideration." 

"  Don't  you  think,  Mrs.  Hughes,"  said  the 
Practical  Person,  "  that  it  is  important  to 
be  systematic  if  one  wishes  to  accomplish 
much?" 

"  Very  important,  even  necessary ;  but  I  think 
that  when  one  is  leading  such  a  life  as  I  have 
spoken  of,  a  system  is  really  out  of  the  question. 
When  our  lives  are  harmonious,  when,  like  a 
choice  conversation,  they  become  a  fine  selection, 
they  will  naturally  fall  into  a  well-ordered   sys- 


SIMPLIFYING  LIFE.  275 

tern.  No  system  can  or  should  be  iron-bound ; 
it  must  be  more  or  less  flexible  to  be  of  aid  ;  but 
although  changed  sometimes,  and  occasionally 
abolished  for  a  brief  space,  yet  it  should  exist 
none  the  less.  We  have  heard  of  students  who 
drop  the  history  right  in  the  middle  of  a  sen- 
tence, if  perchance  the  history  hour  expires  just 
then.  But  no  one  would  hold  up  to  ridicule 
those  men  and  women  who  so  judiciously  ar- 
range their  employments  that  there  is  no  rush 
and  no  waste.  A  housekeeper's  plan  of  work 
should  include  many  margins.  She  will  find 
that,  if  she  arranges  to  have  a  certain  task 
ended  and  another  begun  at  any  particular 
hour,  and  struggles  to  carry  this  out,  she  will 
keep  herself  and  her  household  in  a  temper 
the  reverse  of  angelic.  Leave  plenty  of  time 
for  incidentals,  and  you  will  generally  come 
out  even." 

"  But,  Mrs.  Hughes,"  urged  the  Practical  Per- 
son, "  I  think  this  is  impossible,  unless  one  has 
enough  help  to  do  the  work." 

"  Certainly;  it  is  just  as  impossible  as  it  is  to 
keep  a  house  in  order  if  one  has  no  places  to  put 
various  articles.  But  many  people  who  have 
servants  are  so  lacking  in  system  that  they  do 
not  properly  arrange  and  order  the  work,  and 
it  is  always  behind.  The  consciousness  of  being 
in  arrears  is  more  fatiguing  than  the  work  itself. 


2/6  THE  BIDDY  CLUB. 

Some  people  have  by  nature  more  of  this 
quaHty  —  this  capacity  for  arrangement,  coupled 
with  executive  ability — than  others  ;  but  I  think 
that  even  those  who  are  lacking  could  cultivate 
something  of  it.  Without  it  they  can  never  be 
successful  housekeepers ;  indeed,  they  cannot 
live  successfully.  I  know  a  lady  who  has  but 
one  child  and  boards,  who  often  laments  her 
lack  of  time,  and  says  she  cannot  conceive  where 
it  goes.  But  her  conclusion  always  is  that  those 
people  who  have  more  duties  than  she,  and  yet 
enjoy  more  leisure,  must  neglect  something. 
Of  course,  such  a  conclusion  is  very  comforting 
to  herself,  but  it  is  nevertheless  erroneous.  The 
reason  for  such  difference  is  her  lack  of  good 
management.  She  wastes  time.  I  know  that 
she  performs  her  few  duties  no  more  faithfully 
than  some  other  friends  of  mine  perform  their 
many.  She  squanders  her  capital  —  time  —  or 
lets  it  run  to  waste  ;  the  others  invest  it  judi- 
ciously. If,  instead  of  trying  to  justify  herself, 
she  would  conclude  that  she  must  be  in  the 
wrong,  and  conscientiously  try  to  find  the  reme- 
dy, the  result  would  be  a  great  improvement  in 
her  own  life  and  that  of  her  child.  No  mother 
can  teach  that  most  important  art,  the  proper 
management  of  time,  unless  she  herself  prac- 
tises it. 

"J  once  visited  in  a  household  where  there  was 


STMPUFYING  LIFE.  2yy 

never  time  for  anything,  and  by  observing  I 
soon  discovered  many  reasons  for  this.  One 
was  the  multipHcity  of  occupations  ;  another  the 
great  amount,  not  of  conversation,  but  of  talk- 
ing, that  was  done.  Two  or  three  members  of 
the  family  would  undertake  together  to  perform 
some  little  piece  of  work  to  which  one  could 
have  attended  without  difficulty,  and  over  this 
there  would  be  perhaps  half  an  hour  wasted 
in  chattering.  Now,  some  people  may  raise 
shocked  hands,  aiid  say  that  Mrs.  Hughes  is 
even  opposed  to  family  conversation.  I  don't 
think  that  I  am ;  but  most  of  the  talk  that  takes 
place  as  I  have  described  is  mere  chatter,  use- 
less to  say  the  least,  and  some  of  it  worse  than 
useless.  Of  course  people  will  continue  to  so 
pass  their  time  if  they  wish  ;  but  they  should  not 
be  surprised  if,  at  the  close  of  their  day,  they 
can  look  with  no  satisfaction  upon  what  they  have 
accomplished.  I  also  know  of  a  family  of  great 
culture  and  warm  affections,  where  the  custom  is 
for  the  various  members  to  meet  at  the  table 
for  a  meal,  and  then  disperse  for  a  time  in 
order  to  engage  in  different  occupations.  Much 
of  the  day  they  are  as  separate  as  if  they  were 
out  of  the  house.  When  they  meet,  they  have 
delightful  social  times." 

"  Mrs.  Hughes,"  said  the  Sprightly  Lady,  "  I 
have    heard    some    say   that    the    trouble   with 


2/8  THE  BIDDY  CLUB. 

Carlyle  was  that  he  was  around  too  much.  You 
evidently  think  that  some  women  are  around 
too  much  also." 

"  Yes,  I  do.  The  various  members  of  a  fam- 
ily not  only  waste  a  great  deal  of  time,  but  they 
also  see  too  much  of  each  other.  I  think  that 
family  intercourse  would  be  more  interesting,  as 
well  as  more  valuable,  if  it  were  freshened,  not 
only  by  reading  and  thought,  but  also  by  ab- 
stinence. I  would  not  have  people  get  in  the 
habit  of  maintaining  a  gloomy  silence  Avhen 
together,  —  few  things  are  more  depressing  than 
that,  —  but  I  would  have  them  together  less 
frequently;  or,  if  the  size  of  the  house  did  not 
admit  of  separation,  I  would  enjoin  upon  them 
such  active,  healthful  occupations  as  would  pre- 
clude this  idle  chatter,  without  giving  any  im- 
pression of  gloom.  Then,  when  their  duties 
were  ended,  or  when  they  sat  at  table,  I  would 
have  every  member  of  the  household  do  his 
best  to  add  to  the  general  interest  and  happi- 
ness. This  certainly  does  not  mean  making  a 
great  noise,  or  talking  everybody  else  down. 
If  each  is  ready  to  take  his  turn  as  talker  and 
listener,  and,  above  all,  to  show  an  interest  — 
an  unselfish  interest — in  whatever  is  advanced 
for  common  entertainment,  he  will  find  his  re- 
ward in  the  happiness  of  such  family  meetings. 
Such  a  household  as  I  have  in  mind  is  most  de- 


SIMPLIFYING  LIFE.  2/9 

lightful,  but  impossible,  I  think,  for  any  mother 
save  one  of  rare  quahtics." 

"  Do  you  think  it  is  possible,  Mrs.  Hughes," 
asked  one  of  the  Silent  Members,  "  for  a  woman  to 
direct  work  that  she  herself  does  not  understand?" 

"  Yes ;  I  know  of  a  case  where  a  woman  is 
an  excellent  housekeeper,  albeit  she  never 
cooked  a  dish  or  did  any  other  housework  in 
her  life.  She  possesses  wonderful  executive 
ability  and  wonderful  power  of  control  over 
others.  I  do  not  think  her  servants  are  apt 
to  love  her,  but  they  certainly  obey  her.  I 
cannot  help  believing,  however,  that  more 
knowledge  would  improve  her,  for  it  does  not 
seem  possible  that  she  can  rightly  sympathize 
with  and  understand  her  servants,  when  she 
knows  so  little  of  their  toils.  Certainly  it  would 
be  unsafe  to  recommend  her  ignorance  to  wo- 
men in  general ;  for,  not  possessing  her  peculiar 
powers,  they  might  simply  succeed  in  copying 
her  defects." 

"  Mrs.  PTughes,"  said  Dolly,  "  I  have  noticed 
that  you  continually  lay  emphasis  upon  a  mis- 
tress's understanding  her  servants'  work,  and 
sympathizing  with  their  exertions." 

"  I  think  we  cannot  too  often  emphasize  that 
point.  I  know  I  derive  benefit  in  dealing  with 
my  servants  by  frequently  letting  my  mind  dwell 
upon  the  hardships  of  their  life.     This  thought 


280  THE  BIDDY  CLUB. 

should  not  incline  one  to  foolish  indulgence,  but 
it  should  temper  severity,  and  should  have  a 
strong  influence  over  us,  —  inducing  us  to  mingle 
kindness  with  justice  when  we  deal  with  them." 

"  By  the  way,  Mrs.  Hughes,"  said  the  Spright- 
ly Lady,  "  a  friend  of  mine  remarked  the  other 
day  that  she  did  not  believe  there  were  ten  ladies 
in  this  city  who  knew  how  to  be  kind  to  their 
servants  without  being  familiar  with  them.  I 
felt  that  some  one  ought  to  fight  her  on  behalf 
of  the  city.  I  suppose  the  Mayor  is  the  proper 
person  to  call  her  out." 

"  I  am  afraid  there  is  some  truth  in  her  state- 
ment, although  I  hope  her  figures  are  too  small. 
But  there  is  really  little  to  be  said  on  this  theme. 
A  peculiar  mingling  of  gentleness,  kindness,  and 
dignity  belongs  to  the  true  lady,  and  it  is  as  in- 
describable as  inimitable.  If  one  is  not  to  such 
manner  born,  she  can  never  possess  it,  for  it  is 
not  to  be  acquired.  But  to  return  to  the  hard- 
ships of  a  servant's  life.  Some  time  ago  I  was 
reading  in  an  English  magazine  an  article  on 
butchers  and  their  bills.  The  complaints  of 
many  people  about  the  high  price  of  meat  were 
mentioned,  and  readers  were  reminded  that  it 
was  impossible  for  butchers  to  buy  in  larger 
quantities  than  their  present  needs  justified,  and 
store  away,  as  could  other  tradespeople,  and  so 
they  had  to  buy  for  the  day,  as   it  were,  and 


SIMPLIFYING  LIFE.  28 1 

gain  or  lose  according  to  the  chances  of  sale; 
and  buying  so,  they  had  to  pay  a  larger  price 
for  their  stock.  But  the  point  in  the  article  that 
reminded  me  of  the  servant  question  was  this : 
The  distasteful  features  of  the  butcher's  trade 
were  dwelt  upon,  and  the  statement  made  that 
there  were  fewer  applications  for  apprenticeship 
to  this  business  than  to  any  other  equally  promi- 
nent. I  immediately  thought  of  our  kitchens, — 
our  greasy  dishes  and  soiled  clothes;  I  thought 
of  the  summer's  heat  and  the  winter's  cold.  In 
my  mind  some  sharp  contrasts  arose :  the  mis- 
tress on  the  gallery,  of  a  hot  day,  and  the  maid 
over  the  cook-stove;  the  family  abed  and  asleep, 
of  a  cold  winter  morning,  and  the  maid  trying, 
with  benumbed  hands  and  feet,  to  start  the  fires 
and  get  the  breakfast;  and  as  figures  in  this 
picture,  I  saw  my  servants  with  their  heated, 
tired  faces,  just  as  I  have  seen  them  many  a 
time.  And  thinking  of  all  this,  I  assure  you  I 
did  n't  begrudge  them  any  of  their  pleasures, 
but  rather  cast  about  in  my  mind  to  try  to  dis- 
cover ways  and  means  of  still  further  lightening 
their  toil  and  increasing  their  comforts.  It 
would  be  well  for  us  mistresses  to  bear  in  mind 
these  lines  from  '  Henry  VI.' :  — 

'  Thus  are  poor  servitors. 
When  others  sleep  upon  their  quiet  beds, 
Constrain'd  to  watch  in  darkness,  rain,  and  cold.'" 


282  THE  BIDDY  CLUB. 

"  Mrs.  Hughes,"  said  one  of  the  Silent  Mem- 
bers, "  what  do  you  think  when  the  lady  of 
the  house  is  obliged  to  do  all  this  work  and 
to  perform  the  duties  of  wife  and  mother  in 
addition?" 

"  To  begin  with,  I  can  say  that  I  don't  think 
she  can  perform  the  latter  if  she  has  the  former 
on  her  hands,  unless  her  family  is  very  small. 
But  I  have  already  expressed  myself  upon  this 
point  so  often,  that  I  fear  any  words  I  speak 
now  will  only  seem  to  be  a  repetition ;  then, 
too,  I  feel  so  strongly  upon  the  subject  that  I 
am  fearful  of  speaking  with  undue  heat.  To 
sum  it  all  up,  as  it  were,  I  earnestly  pity  such 
women,  and  think  that  most  of  them  married 
too  soon,  instead  of  w^aiting  until  the  income 
justified  at  least  a  tolerable  mode  of  existence. 
I  think,  too,  that  in  the  majority  of  such  fami- 
lies there  are  far  too  many  children.  I  have 
often  heard  people  deplore  the  fact  that  some 
of  these  poor  household  drudges  are  without 
daughters;  but,  right  or  wrong,  I  cannot  help 
feeling  a  certain  pleasure  when  I  see  there 
is  no  daughter  in  such  a  household.  I  feel 
that  to  a  certain  extent,  perhaps  only  a  very 
limited  extent,  the  mother  is  responsible  for 
the  conditions  of  her  life,  and  I  cannot  help 
rejoicing  that  there  is  no  young  girl  there  to 
choose  one  of  three  things,  —  to  be  an  unnatural 


SIMPLIFYING  LIFE.  283 

daughter  and  refuse  to  bear  her  part;  to  have 
her  young  hfe  worn  out  by  the  same  spiritless, 
ceaseless  drudgery;  or  to  marry  into  similar 
evils,  probably.  I  trust  you  will  understand 
that  I  am  not  referring  to  any  reasonable 
amount  of  housework,  but  to  overwork,  —  work 
in  those  households  where  the  supply  never 
equals  the  demand;  where  the  work  is  always 
in  advance  of  the  worker,  and  one  must  con- 
tinually toil  along  with  no  prospect  or  hope  of 
really  getting  through.  There  are  many  such 
households,  but  there  ought  to  be  very  few. 
For  my  part,  I  can  think  of  but  one  reason  that 
can  justify  such  a  condition  of  affairs,  and  that 
is  some  long-continued  ill-health  or  calamity 
which  deprives  the  parents  of  an  income  which 
has  been  sufficient  to  justify  them  in  having 
a  family  of  children.  Of  course,  under  such 
changed  circumstances  there  would  have  to  be 
an  entire  change  in  the  mode  of  life." 

"  I  have  two  children,"  said  the  Sprightly 
Lady,  with  a  penitent  air,  "  but  now  I  think  of 
it,  I  am  not  sure  that  my  income  justifies  more 
than  one.  Would  any  of  you  be  so  kind  as  to 
buy  Tommy,  and  take  him  off  my  hands  ?  "  she 
added,  looking  around  with  a  comical  air  of 
earnestness. 

One  of  the  Silent  Members,  who  had  no  chil- 
dren, readily  offered  to  take  the  small  Thomas. 


284  THE   BIDDY  CLUB. 

"I'll  consult  Billy  about  the  price,  and  let 
you  know,"  said  the  Sprightly  Lady,  "And 
now  that  this  painful  matter  is  disposed  of,  will 
you  please  tell  me,  Mrs.  Hughes,  something 
about  gasoline  ranges;  do  you  think  they  are 
safe  ?  " 

"  I  have  found  them  so.  I  have  used  several 
different  makes,  and  have  had  one  in  my  house 
now  for  some  years,  and  I  have  never  had  an 
accident.  Of  course  I  explain  the  danger  to 
my  servants,  and  caution  them  to  be  very  care- 
ful. Kerosene  is  dangerous,  yet  many  people 
trust  their  servants  to  handle  it ;  and  although 
we  occasionally  hear  of  a  fearful  accident,  such 
things  are  rare,  coijsidering  the  amount  of  oil 
used.  In  truth,  fire  is  a  most  dangerous  ele- 
ment, but  we  have  to  trust  our  servants  with 
that.  To  prevent  accidents,  we  must  teach 
them  the  danger  of  carelessness.  I  should  be 
sorry  indeed  to  give  up  my  gasoline  range,  and 
so  would  my  cook.  For  two  years,  now,  I  have 
used  one  in  winter  as  well  as  summer." 

"  How  do  you  heat  your  kitchen?"  asked  the 
Practical  Person. 

"  I  have  a  base-burner  furnace-stove  in  the 
servants'  hall,  as  I  call  their  dining  and  sitting- 
room,  and  this  heats  the  kitchen  nicely,  and  by 
means  of  a  drum,  and  two  hot-air  pipes,  also 
heats  a  bath-room   and    both   of  the  servants' 


SIMPLIFYING  LIFE.  285 

rooms  equally  well.  It  costs  no  more  to  run 
this  stove  than  it  would  cost  to  run  a  coal 
range,  and  it  adds  much  to  the  servants'  com- 
fort. These  five  rooms  are  warm  both  night 
and  day.  The  gasoline  range  stands  in  the 
kitchen,  and  is  only  lighted  when  needed.  It 
is  not  nearly  as  expensive  as  a  coal  range,  as  we 
buy  the  gasoline  by  the  barrel  (which,  by  the 
way,  we  keep  in  a  little  shed  separate  from  the 
house),  and  it  dispenses  with  all  the  trouble  and 
dirt  of  fuel.  But,"  she  added,  glancing  at  her 
watch,  "  I  see  it  is  time  to  extinguish  my  con- 
versation, as  well  as  my  range." 

"  Turn     out     both     gases,"     whispered     the 
Sprightly  Lady,  less  elegantly  but  more  briefly. 


286  THE  BIDDY  CLUB. 


CHAPTER   XVIII. 

ONE  THING  AT   A   TIME. 

I  HAVE  SO  far  made  but  slight  mention  of  a 
little  change  that  took  place  in  the  conduct 
of  the  Club  soon  after  its  establishment.  At 
first  the  conversation  was  more  general,  Mrs. 
Hughes  bearing  not  much  more  than  her  pro- 
portion ;  but  as  the  interest  deepened,  and  the 
topics  increased  in  importance,  it  became  the 
wish  of  the  ladies  to  have  Mrs.  Hughes,  who 
was  older  and  more  experienced  than  the 
others,  deliver  a  series  of  short  lectures  on  sub- 
jects connected  with  the  servant  question,  these 
subjects  being  chosen  by  the  various  members 
of  the  Club;  each  lady  feehng  at  liberty  to  in- 
terrupt at  her  pleasure,  and  make  such  com- 
ments or  ask  such  questions  as  she  desired. 
Mrs.  Hughes,  who  was  quite  ready  to  do  any- 
thing that  all  the  rest  thought  would  contribute 
to  the  interest  and  success  of  the  Club,  assented 
to  this  plan,  only  asking  that  the  ladies  would 
hand  her,  at  their  next  meeting,  a  list  of  topics 
upon  which  they  wished   her  to  speak  during 


ONE    THING  AT  A    TIME.  287 

the  coming  weeks,  such  Hst  being,  of  course, 
subject  to  additions  from  time  to  time.  A  few 
weeks  previous  to  the  meeting  of  which  I  am 
now  writing,  Mrs.  Hughes  suggested  that  the 
ladies  should  hand  in  no  new  topics,  unless  they 
had  some  in  mind  with  which  they  were  par- 
ticularly anxious  to  have  the  Club  deal,  as  she 
already  had  on  hand  almost  a  sufficient  number 
to  occupy  attention  until  the  time  for  the  sum- 
mer vacation. 

"At  our  last  meeting,"  said  Mrs.  Hughes, 
when  the  ladies  were  ready  for  the  business  of 
the  day,  "  I  was  asked  to  tell  what  means  I  had 
used  for  making  the  most  of  my  time.  I  would 
like  to-day,  with  the  ladies'  permission,  to  speak 
of  a  point  which  is  closely  connected  with  that 
subject;  and  that  is,  concentration  of  thought 
and  aim.  As  I  said  before,  I  used  to  set  apart 
a  certain  time  for  the  active  supervision  of  my 
house,  another  time  for  my  studies,  and  so  on ; 
and  I  am  certain  that  I  derived  great  benefit 
from  putting  my  entire  mind  upon  whatever 
work  or  pleasure  I  undertook.  If  I  was  paint- 
ing, I  thought  only  about  that,  letting  all  else 
go;  when  it  was  time  to  drop  the  painting  and 
take  up  the  household,  I  turned  my  undivided 
attention  to  bills  of  fare,  orders  of  supplies, 
or  whatever  branch  of  housekeeping  I  had  at 
that  moment  in  charge,  never  giving  my  paint- 


288  THE  BIDDY  CLUB. 

ing  even  the  fraction  of  a  thought.  I  believe 
that  many  people  weaken  their  brains  by  dis- 
traction of  mind.  Even  little  children  should 
be  taught  to  work  while  they  work  and  play 
while  they  play." 

"  Don't  you  think  that  power  of  concentration 
is  a  natural  gift?  "  asked  the  Practical  Person. 

"Sometimes,"  answered  Mrs.  Hughes;  "but 
it  is  very  susceptible  to  cultivation  and  neglect. 
I  think  I  probably  possessed  something  of  this 
power  in  the  beginning,  but  I  have  always  had 
to  cultivate  it  also.  This  culture  used  to  be  very 
difficult,  and  even  now  it  is  not  always  easy; 
but  I  am  continually  conscious  of  its  benefits. 
I  have  often  left  my  studio,  after  struggling  with 
the  conception  of  a  piece,  feeling  very  tired, 
and  have  gone  to  my  nursery,  and  giving  my- 
self entirely  up  to  my  children  for  half  an  hour, 
have  returned  to  the  studio  quite  refreshed.  In 
the  same  way  I  have  often  dropped  some  worry- 
ing household  cares  and  gone  out  for  a  brisk 
walk,  thinking  the  while  upon  something  else, 
and  returned  with  new  zest  to  the  knotty  ques- 
tions. If  any  one  were  to  ask  me  what  I  con- 
sidered one  of  the  most  important  recipes  for 
preserving  youth  and  health,  I  would  say,  break- 
ing the  tension  frequently,  snapping  it  off  short. 
You  will  understand,  of  course,  that  I  do  not 
advocate    running   from    one  thing  to   another 


ONE   THING  AT  A    TIME.  289 

every  five  minutes.  The  length  of  time  in  which 
one  is  able  to  dwell,  without  change,  upon  any- 
particular  subject,  or  engage  in  any  particular 
toil,  varies  much  with  different  individuals  ;  but 
no  one  is  so  strong,  mentally  and  nervously,  as 
to  be  able  ardently  to  pursue  any  especial  occu- 
pation for  hours,  and  to  carry  it  into  his  relaxa- 
tions, without  suffering  much  injury  sooner  or 
later,  not  to  mention  the  loss  sustained  by  the 
occupation  itself  from  this  too  long-continued 
labor." 

"  Since  we  are  recurring  to  past  themes,  Mrs. 
Hughes,"  said  the  Practical  Person,  "will  you 
please  say  something  more  of  what  you  think 
about  the  policy  of  treating  servants  well?" 

"  I  confess  that  this  theme  is  distasteful  to 
me,  for  it  involves  so  much  selfishness  and  so 
little  nobility  ;  but  as  this  is,  in  some  of  its  as- 
pects, a  selfish  world,  we  must  face  even  such 
questions.  I  would  most  heartily  say  that,  as 
far  as  policy  is  concerned,  kindness  to  servants 
pays  ex'ceeding  well." 

"  Some  of  my  experiences  would  go  to  con- 
tradict that  theory,  Mrs.  Hughes,"  said  the 
Imitation  Lady.  "  I  am  sure  I  've  been  as  kind 
as  I  could  be  to  some  girls  who  have  treated 
me  shamefully  afterward." 

"  That  is  a  deplorable  experience  which  most 
of  us  have  had  at  some  time  or  other,  doubtless ; 

'9 


290  THE  BIDDY  CLUB. 

but  wc  must  draw  our  conclusions  from  the 
general  average  of  cases,  rather  than  from  iso- 
lated instances." 

"  I  think  I  can  testify  on  Mrs.  Hughes's  side," 
said  one  of  those  ladies  who  seldom  spoke.  "  I 
have  sometimes  had  the  most  touching  returns 
from  my  servants  for  kindness.  We  've  been 
ill  a  great  deal  at  our  house,  and  my  servants 
have  always  stood  by  me.  Last  spring,  while  I 
was  sick  in  bed,  two  of  my  children  were  taken 
with  scarlet  fever.  My  husband  told  the  ser- 
vants that  there  was  great  danger  of  contagion, 
and  that  they  might  leave  if  they  wished.  They 
made  him  no  answer, — they  are  quiet  girls, — 
but  turned  and  went  on  with  their  work.  We 
were  cut  off  from  everybody  and  could  get  no 
outside  help,  so  their  tasks  were  very  heavy. 
In  addition  to  all  the  rest  of  her  work,  my  nurse 
took  her  regular  watches  and  cared  for  my  sick 
little  girls." 

"  It  is  wonderful  she  did  n't  catch  the  fever," 
said  the  Practical  Person. 

"  She  did,"  said  the  lady.  "  If  she  had  died 
I  think  it  would  have  almost  killed  me.  We 
took  care  of  her,  of  course,  and  fortunately  she 
had  it  lightly.  I  shall  never  forget  what  she 
did  for  me,  nor  the  other  girl's  service,  either ; 
one  treasures  such  things." 

"  Yes,"  said  Mrs.  Hughes,  "  they  hallow  life 


ONE   THING  AT  A    TIME.  29 1 

and  keep  the  heart  tender.  I  have  no  doubt 
that  all  mistresses  have  at  times  been  touched 
by  the  gratitude  of  their  servants,  and  indeed  I 
have  known  of  many  instances  where  these 
ignorant  girls  have  treated  a  thoughtless  and 
really  unkind  mistress  with  a  magnanimity  that 
should  have  shamed  her.  Whenever  I  have 
been  ill  I  have  leaned  upon  my  servants,  and 
they  have  never  given  way.  Once,  during  my 
own  illness,  one  of  my  children  was  made  sick 
by  the  neglect  of  a  servant.  To  be  sure,  it 
was  the  neglect  of  a  duty  which,  when  I  was 
w^ell,  belonged  to  me  and  not  to  her;  but  I  called 
her  to  my  room  and  talked  with  her  seriously 
about  it.  I  reminded  her  of  the  efforts  I  had 
always  made  in  her  behalf,  and  told  her  that 
now  I  was  quite  helpless  and  needed  her  kind- 
ness and  assistance,  and  that  I  looked  to  her, 
not  only  to  perform  her  duties  faithfully,  but 
also  to  take  my  place  as  far  as  she  could. 
I  cannot  begin  to  tell  you  how  faithfully 
both  she  and  my  cook  served  me  at  that  time ; 
how  much  thoughtfulness  and  forbearance  they 
showed.  In  my  convalescence,  —  that  most  trying 
of  all  times ;  that  season  when  the  weak  nerves 
are  struggling  back  to  life ;  when  you  are  out 
of  all  danger  and  everybody  thinks  you  are 
doing  well  enough,  but  you  yourself  know  that 
you  arc  a  thousand-fold  more  in  need  of  ten- 


292  THE  BIDDY  CLUB. 

derness,  sympathy,  and  every  form  of  loving- 
kindness  than  ever  you  were  when  most  ill ;  that 
time  when  you  cannot  help  being  unreasonable; 
v/hen  every  sound  jars  upon  you,  and  every 
act  of  seeming  indifference  breaks  your  heart 
afresh,  —  at  that  time,  with  me,  it  was  oftenest 
my  servants  who  showed  most  sympathy  and 
the  truest  and  most  constant  kindness." 

It  was  seldom  that  Mrs.  Hughes  betrayed 
emotion,  for  she  had  a  wonderful  power  of  con- 
trol ;  but  Dolly  saw  that  this  power  was  severely 
taxed  just  at  that  moment,  and  immediately 
claimed  the  ladies'  attention, 

"  I  have  not  kept  house  very  many  years 
yet,"  she  said,  "  but  I  know  that  most  of  these 
servants  have  kind  hearts,  and  will  show  their 
kindness  if  we  but  let  them.  I  think  they  often 
feel  that  their  mistresses  care  nothing  for  them 
personally,  but  are  merely  trying  to  get  what 
they  can  out  of  them ;  and  of  course  such 
thoughts  are  hardening." 

"  Do  you  believe  in  rewarding  servants,  Mrs. 
Hughes?"  asked  the  Imitation  Millionnaire. 

"Not  for  all  they  do,  perhaps;  or,  to  speak 
more  correctly,  I  do  not  believe  in  turning 
around  and  paying  a  girl  for  every  extra  service 
which  she  may  perform  out  of  kindness  of  heart. 
That  would  be  doing  her  injury  and  depriving 
her  of  the  elevation  of  character  which  is  God's 


ONE   THING  AT  A    TIME.  293 

payment  for  a  noble  act.  But  I  think  that  ap- 
preciation stimulates  virtue ;  we  all  crave  that, 
and  I  never  fail  to  let  my  servants  receive  it 
from  me.  Such  services  as  we  have  been  men- 
tioning cannot  be  paid  for  in  dollars  and  cents ; 
but  I  think  we  do  both  ourselves  and  our  ser- 
vants a  wrong  if  we  do  not  notice  them  in  some 
way.  It  has  been  my  custom  for  years  to  make 
for  those  servants  who  had  lived  with  us  a  long" 
time,  or  done  especially  well,  a  very  happy 
Christmas.  We  have  known  seasons  when  we 
felt  that  we  could  not  afford  to  give  each  other 
any  present,  unless  it  was  some  little  inexpensive 
thing  we  ourselves  manufactured  ;  but  we  have, 
even  at  such  times,  expended  considerable  on 
our  servants." 

"  What  kind  of  presents  do  you  make  them  ?  " 
asked  Dolly. 

"  Cabbage  and  roast  pig,"  said  the  Sprightly 
Lady. 

"  No,  not  exactly  that,  but  something  practi- 
cal," answered  Mrs.  Hughes.  "When  we  were 
quite  limited  in  our  means,  we  used  to  buy  cal- 
ico gowns,  white  aprons,  handkerchiefs,  and  so 
on,  for  them.  Usually  we  put  the  various  arti- 
cles into  different  parcels,  so  as  to  have  a  series 
of  surprises,  and  gave  one  from  the  baby,  one 
from  the  next  child,  and  perhaps  one  or  two 
from    myself.      These    presents   were    on    the 


294  THE  BIDDY  CLUB. 

Christmas-tree,  —  for  wc  never  failed  to  have  a 

I 

tree,  if  it  was  no  more  than  a  twig,  and  we  were 
all  very  happy  around  it.  Of  late  years  I  have 
tried  to  find  out  from  my  servants  before  Christ- 
mas what  particular  gift  would  be  most  accept- 
able, and  have  added  this  —  an  album  perhaps, 
or  a  shopping-bag — to  some  more  practical  ar- 
ticles. There  are  those  who  think  that  a  present 
should  always  be  something  superfluous,  —  some- 
thing the  receiver  could  not  have  given  him- 
self; and  there  certainly  is  wisdom  in  this,  al- 
though it  would  not  always  be  best  to  be  guided 
by  such  a  rule,  for  often  people  are  really  in 
need  of  practical  articles,  and  a  present  which 
answered  those  wants  could  not  fail  to  be  more 
acceptable  than  one  which  took  a  more  roman- 
tic form.  It  is  almost  needless  to  say  that  I 
think  it  very  wrong  to  give  servants  any  finery, 
—  anything  which  would  encourage  in  them 
tastes  unbefitting  their  condition  or  means." 

"  I  have  the  same  feeling  you  have  about 
rewarding  servants,  Mrs.  Hughes,"  said  the 
Silent  Lady  who  had  spoken  a  few  moments 
before.  "  After  all  our  illness  last  spring  I 
went  away  with  the  children.  I  knew  our  sum- 
mer was  to  be  very  quiet,  but  I  resolved,  even 
before  we  left,  that  I  would  try  to  make  my 
nurse  have  a  happy  time;  and  I  know  I  suc- 
ceeded in  this.     I  gave  her  many  little  privileges, 


ONE    THING  AT  A    TIME.  295 

and   took   pains  that  she  should   see   whatever 
'there  was  to  be  seen  ;   and  as  she  formed  some 
pleasant  acquaintances  among  her  own  people, 
I  am  sure  she  enjoyed  the  summer." 

"  Virtue  is  said  to  be  its  own  reward,"  said 
Mrs.  Hughes  ;  "  but  I  have  noticed  that  few  ob- 
ject to  a  little  something  additional,  and  I  think 
that  we  may  safely  conclude  that  our  servants 
are  at  least  as  human  as  wc.  To  change  the 
subject  a  little,  I  would  like,  if  the  ladies  will 
excuse  the  digression,  to  give  a  description  of 
a  house  of  which  I  was  lately  told.  Although 
foreign  to  our  more  recent  topics  of  conversa- 
tion, and  possibly  so  to  our  topic  proper,  —  ser- 
vants, —  yet  it  is  closely  allied  to  a  subject 
upon  which  we  have  already  touched,  —  that  of 
making  a  home  beautiful  upon  small  means. 
The  house  whose  description  excited  my  admira- 
tion is  the  home  of  a  married  couple  who  are 
rich  in  culture,  but  whose  means  are  quite  lim- 
ited. Upon  the  lady's  entering  the  old  family 
mansion  as  its  mistress,  she  found  that  it  had 
'heretofore  been  the  custom  of  the  household  to 
store  in  the  garret  any  article  of  injured  furni- 
ture. There  were  a  number  of  old-fashioned 
pieces  living  thus  in  deep  and  melancholy  seclu- 
sion, and  she  had  them  all  carried  downstairs, 
and  with  some  outside  assistance  put  them  in 
perfect  order.     As  some  of  this   furniture  was 


296  THE  BIDDY  CLUB. 

extremely  old  in  style,  it  is  now  quite  valuable, 
in  a  day  when  the  antique  is  so  highly  prized. 
The  house  itself,  although  substantial,  was  rather 
bleak  in  its  appearance  and  appointments.  With 
the  aid  of  an  ordinary  workman  this  lady  made 
great  changes  and  improvements  in  the  large 
yard,  and  within  doors  she  must  have  trans- 
formed the  place  indeed.  She  employed  a 
Frenchman  who  possessed  some  taste,  but  no 
skill  beyond  that  of  almost  any  good  common 
painter,  and  with  his  help  alone  she  frescoed 
the  entire  house.  In  her  parlor  she  hung  lace 
curtains,  which  she  had  dyed  a  delicate  blue. 
On  the  ceiling  overhead,  pale  morning-glories 
seem  to  grow  and  blossom.  Pond-lilies  in  the 
upper  and  day-lilies  in  the  lower  hall  rival  the 
splendor  of  Solomon.  In  her  husband's  study 
stands  a  tall  palm-tree,  and  this  tree  finds  like 
comrades  on  the  walls  ;  while  the  lotus-flower 
and  other  suggestions  of  Egypt  add  to  the 
classic  beauty  of  the  room.  Her  own  study 
glows  with  the  warmth  of  many-shaded  reds,  and 
on  the  walls  the  coral  honeysuckle  twines  its 
beautiful  lengths.  This  lady  has  until  lately  done 
but  little  painting,  although  of  course  she  must 
always  have  been  an  artist  at  heart ;  but  in  dec- 
orating her  new  home  she  was,  as  I  have  said, 
assisted  by  a  man  who  had  no  claim  to  such  a 
title.     At  times    he  would  despair  of  carrying 


ONE   THING  AT  A    TIME.  297 

out  her  suggestions,  though  she  aided  him  by 
models  and  even  by  outHning  the  designs  upon 
the  walls.  He  would  sit  and  mope  by  the  hour, 
and  all  her  own  energy  and  enthusiasm  were 
taxed  to  give  him  heart  once  more.  Then  per- 
haps he  would  take  his  brush  and  work  away 
right  manfully,  until  the  next  despondent  fit 
seized  him." 

"  But  all  of  us  are  not  artists,  Mrs.  Hughes," 
said  the  Practical  Person. 

"  No ;  and  all  of  us  cannot  have  such  exqui- 
site homes.  I  only  cited  this  case  to  show  what 
might  be  accomplished  without  much  money. 
Of  course  this  is  not  the  only  form  of  decora- 
tion, although  it  certainly  is  one  that  is  unusually 
beautiful." 

Some  little  chat  among  the  ladies  ensued  at 
this  point,  and  then  Mrs.  Hughes  said,  — 

"  The  summer  is  now  fairly  upon  us,  and  it 
might  be  well  to  adjourn  the  meetings  until 
next  fall." 

"  Lest  the  discussions,"  suggested  the  Spright- 
ly Lady,  "  may  become  too  heated." 

"Yes,"  laughed  Mrs.  Hughes,  "  there  certainly 
would  be  some  danger  of  that."  And  then  she 
added,  "It  might  be  well  to  have  one  more  meet- 
ing, and  in  this  to  sum  up  as  far  as  possible  the 
results  of  the  seventeen  meetings  of  the  Club. 
Possibly  the  best  mode  of  doing  this  would  be 


298  THE  BIDDY  CLUB. 

to  hand  in  a  series  of  resolutions  on  some  of  the 
various  topics  we  have  discussed." 

This  suggestion  met  with  favor,  and  Mrs. 
Hughes  was  requested  to  draw  up  the  resolu- 
tions. This  she  declined  to  do,  but  said  that  if 
the  ladies  would  hand  her  the  resolutions  some- 
time during  the  week,  she  would  gladly  endeavor 
to  arrange  them  in  order,  and  would  also  add 
her  own  contribution.  To  this  the  ladies  con- 
sented;  and  after  some  little  chat  upon  other 
subjects  they  adjourned  until  their  final  meeting, 
a  week  later. 

When  the  ladies  had  all  left,  I  asked  Dolly 
what  she  thought  of  our  Pale  Friend. 

"  Why,  Griff,  I  confess  I  'm  astonished,"  she 
said,  turning  a  perplexed  face  toward  me.  "  I 
was  afraid  she  would  be  broken  down  by  all 
her  extra  cares ;  and  instead  of  that  she  looks 
better  than  she  has  since  she  was  married." 

"  Dolly,"  I  said,  "  could  n't  you  see  that 
woman  was  dying,  not  from  overwork,  but  for 
the  want  of  a  little  happiness?" 

"That  must  have  been  it;  and  now  she's 
really  happy,  she's  doing  so  much  for  her 
family;  and  I  believe  she's  happy  in  her  hus- 
band, too." 

Yes,  I  felt  that  Dolly  was  right.  The  woman 
was  happy  in  her  husband  at  last,  and  he  and 
she  did  really  love  each  other.     He  was  not  yet 


ONE   THING  AT  A    TIME.  299 

my  ideal  of  a  man,  by  any  means,  nor  was  he 
one  in  whose  companionship  I  could  have  taken 
great  pleasure  ;  but  none  could  deny  that  he  was 
vastly  improved,  nor  could  any  one  doubt  that 
his  wife's  dying  heart  had  been  refreshed,  and 
her  drooping  spirit  had  once  more  lifted  its 
gentle  head,  as  do  the  wild  flowers  after  a  soft 
spring  rain. 

A  little  love  —  what  will  it  not  accomplish  ! 
And  wiien  we  come  to  a  great,  an  eternal 
love,  —  a  love  that  leaves  the  ninety  and  nine 
and  goes  out  to  seek  the  poor  lost  sheep, —  is 
not  that  indeed  God's  own ! 


30O  THE  BIDDY  CLUB. 


CHAPTER   XIX. 

SOME    GOOD    RESOLUTIONS. 

AT  the  accustomed  hour  the  ladies  convened 
for  their  last  meeting  before  fall,  the  scribe 
being  modestly  secluded,  as  usual.  Only  once 
did  this  personage  issue  from  his  retreat,  and 
that  was  before  the  meeting  really  began.  He 
then  sought  out  Mrs.  Hughes,  and  begged  to 
know  why,  in  most  of  her  remarks,  she  had  used 
the  past  tense.  She  explained  that  it  was  not 
because  either  her  housekeeping  or  her  family 
were  deceased,  but  because  she  was  trying 
to  recall  a  period  in  her  married  life  which 
would  more  nearly  correspond  to  that  through 
which  the  other  ladies  were  passing  than 
would  the  present,  she  having  been  married 
longer  and  kept  house  more  years  than  had 
any  of  the  rest  of  the  Club.  The  explana- 
tion being  satisfactory,  the  scribe  forgave  her 
and  withdrew  ;  and  shortly  after  he  was  once 
more  seated  at  his  desk,  the  meeting  was 
opened. 


SOME   GOOD  RESOLUTIONS.  301 

In  all  the  preceding  meetings  considerable 
order  had  been  observed,  and,  contrary  to  my 
expectation,  I  must  confess,  the  object  for  which 
the  Club  was  formed  was  constantly  kept  in  view, 
and  the  main  theme  adhered  to  with  remarkable 
steadfastness  of  purpose.  But  upon  this  last 
day  —  possibly  because  the  resolutions  were  a 
novelty  and  called  for  more  promiscuous  dis- 
cussion, and  possibly  because  it  was  the  final 
meeting  of  the  Club  for  this  season  —  there  was 
more  laxity  noticeable  among  the  members. 
Of  this  fact,  however,  I  shall  take  no  further 
notice  in  my  report,  merely  sifting  out  what 
seemed  to  be  of  moment,  and  letting  the  rest 
go.  It  had  been  my  custom  all  along  to  take 
a  shorthand  report  of  the  proceedings,  Dolly 
assisting  me  to  put  it  in  proper  shape  when  I 
wrote  it  out  in  full,  as  it  was  always  necessary 
to  make  some  few  omissions  and  some  slight 
change  in  the  arrangement. 

"  Now  for  Bridget,"  said  the  Sprightly  Lady. 
"  Mrs.  Hughes,  let  us  have  the  resolutions, 
please." 

"With  your  permission,  ladies,  I  will  read  all 
the  resolutions  first;  and  then,  after  we  have 
discussed  them,  we  can  vote  upon  them.  These 
resolutions  have  been  drawn  up  as  was  sug- 
gested, and  almost  all  the  members  have  con- 
tributed something." 


302  THE  BIDDY  CLUB. 

Be  it  resolved,  — 

1.  That  as  mistresses  we  will  endeavor  to  perfect 
our  knowledge  of  all  that  pertains  to  good  house- 
keeping. 

2.  That  housekeeping  is  a  science  involving  a 
knowledge  of  human  nature,  a  knowledge  of  the 
chemistry  of  food,  economy  of  time  and  means,  and 
many  other  branches  of  learning,  and  as  such,  in  all  its 
broadness  and  its  many  relationships,  we  will  study  it. 

3.  That  we  will  endeavor,  in  the  management  of 
our  households  and  the  conduct  of  our  li\es,  care- 
fully to  observe  system  as  far  as  is  possible. 

4.  To  require  from  servants  who  desire  to  enter  our 
service,  recommendations  in  some  thoroughly  satisfac- 
tory form. 

5.  To  require  our  servants  to  wear  simple,  neat 
clothing,  befitting  their  means  and  their  position  in  life. 

6.  To  pay  them  according  to  the  quality  and  quan- 
tity of  the  work  they  perform. 

7.  To  treat  them  with  justice  and  firmness,  tem- 
pered with  kindness,  and  also  to  govern  our  treatment 
of  them  by  principles  of  the  strictest  honor. 

8.  To  require  of  them  a  greater  perfection  in  their 
service. 

g.  To  provide  them  with  suitable  comforts  of  room 
and  table,  and  to  insist  upon  their  proper  care  and  use 
of  such  comforts. 

10.  To  bear  constantly  in  mind  the  hardships  of 
their  lives,  and  to  endeavor  to  lessen  these  by  granting 
them  all  possible  judicious  privileges. 

11.  To  economize  their  strength  and  time  as  far  as 


SOME   GOOD   RESOLUTIONS.  303 

our  means  will  permit,  by  the  use  of  all  good  labor- 
saving  machines  and  contrivances. 

12.  To  insist  upon  their  taking  proper  care  of  their 
persons. 

13.  To  require  them  to  be  respectful,  quiet,  and 
orderly  in  their  speech  and  action. 

14.  To  watch  over  their  morals,  always  endeavoring 
to  foster  in  them  such  traits  of  character  as  would 
increase  their  value  as  servants,  and  would  also  be  of 
advantage  to  them  were  they  ever  to  establish  homes 
of  their  own. 

15.  To  teach  them  how  to  economize  judiciously, 
and  in  all  ways  to  endeavor  to  make  extravagance 
disgraceful  in  their  eyes. 

16.  To  supply  suitable  reading  for  their  leisure 
hours. 

17.  To  endeavor  to  come  to  a  better  understanding 
of  their  character,  and  also  of  the  difficulties  of  their 
liiC,  by  looking  at  matters  from  their  standpoint. 

18.  To  encourage  them  to  talk  freely  of  their  wishes 
and  grievances,  provided  they  do  so  in  the  proper 
place,  at  the  proper  time,  and  in  the  proper  manner. 

19.  To  endeavor,  as  far  as  in  our  power  lies,  to 
simplify  our  lives'  and  the  demands  made  upon  our 
time  and  strength. 

20.  To  endeavor  to  learn  from  all  possible  sources, 
and  to  improve  every  way  that  lies  open  to  us  for  the 
increasing  of  our  knowledge  and  general  intelligence. 

It  was  necessary  to  read  the  above  resolutions 
several  times,  both  as  a  whole  and  in  detached 


304  THE  BIDDY  CLUB. 

portions.      The    discussion    set  on  foot  by  the 
reading  was  at  times  most  animated,  that  upon 
resolution  number  six  being  almost  vehement, 
and,  strange  as  it  may  seem,  that  upon  number 
nine  being  scarcely  less  so.     The  meeting  had 
been  prolonged  beyond  the  usual   hour,  when 
the  voting  began,  the  ladies  taking  up  the  reso- 
lutions one  by  one,  and  in  their  proper  order. 
Numbers   four,    five,   eight,    and   thirteen    were 
unanimously  adopted;   numbers  one,  two,  three, 
seven,     fourteen,     fifteen,     sixteen,     seventeen, 
eighteen,  and  nineteen  were  carried  by  a  good 
majority.     Number  twenty  seemed,  as  far  as  its 
sentiment  was  concerned,  to   be   received  with 
approval  by  all ;  but  some  objected  that  it  did 
not  belong  among  a  set  of  resolutions  of  that 
kind,  while  others  thought  it  was  already  incor- 
porated  in  number  two.     Those  who  were  in 
favor  of  its  adoption  argued  that  the  broader  a 
woman's  general  intelligence  became,  the  better 
fitted  her  brain  would  be  to  grapple  with  house- 
keeping problems  ;  they  also  argued  that,  while 
number  two  included  much,   it  did  not  neces- 
sarily comprehend  general  intelligence,  and  after 
some  discussion  the  resolution  was  adopted  as 
it  stood.     Numbers  nine,  ten,  eleven,  and  twelve 
passed,  but  with  a  smaller  majority ;  while  num- 
ber six  barely  escaped  defeat,  its  majority  being 
of  the  same  diminutive  size  as  that  upon  which 


SOME   GOOD  RESOLUTIONS.  305 

the  scribe  was  admitted.  To  do  justice  to  the 
ladies,  however,  I  must  state  that  one  of  them 
remarked  that  for  her  part  she  would  be  rather 
glad  to  see  some  change  and  improvement 
made  in  the  amount  of  a  competent  servant's 
wages,  but  that  she  did  not  control  sufficient 
money  to  enable  her  to  join  in  any  such  move- 
ment ;  and  I  feel  confident  that,  although  they 
did  not  say  so,  one  or  two  of  the  other  ladies 
occupied  the  same  position. 

"  I  would  like  to  say  a  few  words  more  upon 
this  subject,"  said  Mrs.  Hughes,  after  the  reso- 
lutions had  lived  through  the  fierce  ordeal  of 
the  discussion  and  the  voting.  "  This  remark 
could  scarcely  be  incorporated  in  the  resolu- 
tions, but  it  is,  nevertheless,  one  which  I  trust 
will  have  much  weight  with  you.  If  you  have 
a  good  servant,  do  not  spoil  her  by  over-indul- 
gence, but  try  by  judicious  and  kind  treatment 
to  retain  her  as  long  as  she  is  willing  to  give  her- 
self to  service.  A  good  servant  is  one  of  the 
pillars  of  household  peace  and  comfort.  I  think 
that  a  strong,  competent,  faithful  servant  can 
hardly  be  overestimated  ;  she  is  the  very  salt 
of  the  earth." 

"  Briny  Bridget,"  murmured  the  Sprightly 
Lady. 

"Yes,"  laughed  Mrs.  Hughes,  "she  may  well 
be  called  briny,  both  for  that  reason,  and  also 

20 


306  THE  BIDDY  CLUB. 

because   she    generally   comes    from    over    the 


sea." 


After  this,  the  conversation  became  more 
general,  all  the  ladies  expressing  their  appre- 
ciation of  the  pleasure  and  profit  afforded  them 
by  the  Club,  and  also  expressing  their  hope 
that  they  would  all  meet  once  more  in  the  fall, 
and  continue  these  or  similar  discussions.  A 
vote  of  thanks  was  then  most  cordially  offered 
to  Dolly  for  forming  the  Club,  and  to  Mrs. 
Hughes  for  leading  it  so  ably;  and  soon  after 
this  the  ladies  dispersed. 

Dolly's  little  Club  was  at  an  end  for  the  time 
being,  and  I  sat  alone  at  my  desk,  busily  specu- 
lating as  to  effects.  It  was  seldom  that  any 
such  enterprise  was  able  to  bear  so  much  pres- 
ent and  visible  fruit  as  had  this  Club  in  the 
Pale  Lady's  case ;  and  although  hers  was  the 
most  marked  instance  of  its  influence,  I  was 
confident  that  I  could  also  detect  traces  of  its 
good  work  in  many  of  the  other  ladies.  I 
knew  that  my  little  woman  had  learned  much 
that  was  of  great  value.  The  Practical  Person 
had,  I  fancied,  gained  a  little  sentiment  to  soften 
and  beautify  her  somewhat  hard  practicability. 
I  believed  that  even  the  Millionnaire  had  gained 
a  little  wisdom ;  and  although  the  Frivolous 
Young  Woman  had  departed,  and  was,  anyhow. 


SOME  GOOD  RESOLUTIONS.  307 

what  the  darkies  call  "  mazin  po"  material  to 
work  upon,  yet  neither  she  nor  any  other  human 
creature  could  be  entirely  beyond  hope.  As 
to  the  Sprightly  Lady,  it  was  more  difficult  to 
say  much.  She  was  to  me  a  most  fascinating, 
puzzling  little  woman,  —  one  of  those  who  sel- 
dom betray  what  is  going  on  in  the  busy  heart 
and  brain,  rather  disguising  such  work,  but  all 
the  while,  nevertheless,  constantly  impressing 
one  with  the  conviction  that  beneath  those 
merry  surface  jests  there  lies  much  of  strength 
and  also  much  wisdom,  I  did  not  doubt  that 
such  a  character  as  hers  had  gained  much  from 
such  a  club.  It  was  my  earnest  hope,  also,  that 
the  Silent  Ladies  had  carried  away  many  good 
seeds.  I  felt  indeed  that  for  much  of  the  fault 
and  hardship  of  their  lives  their  husbands  were 
responsible,  and  that  these  husbands  should 
liave  been  present  at  the  meetings,  —  to  be 
thrashed  I  thought,  rather  fiercely;  to  be  in- 
fluenced, Dolly  would  have  said,  more  gently 
and  wisely. 

I  am  reminded  just  here  to  explain  that  I  gave 
to  several  members  of  the  Club  the  name  of 
Silent  Lady,  not  because  they  never  spoke,  but 
because  their  words  were  somewhat  fewer  and 
more  diffident  than  the  words  of  the  other  ladies. 

Yes,  the  little  Club  was  over  for  a  time.  I 
felt  it  was  an   inspiration   on  Dolly's  part,  and 


308  THE  BIDDY  CLUB. 

I  was  certain  that  its  apparent  end  was  but  a 
beginning  of  much  that  we  should  not  see,  but 
which,  nevertheless,  many  would  feel. 

Just  here  I  was  interrupted  by  Dolly  coming 
into  the  library  and  saying  briskly, — 

"  Next,  I  think,  I  must  take  up  the  manage- 
ment of  husbands." 

"  Don't !  "  I  exclaimed  with  a  prophetic  shiver. 
"  Pray  don't  exert  yourself  any  further !  You 
need  a  long  rest.  I  am  really  concerned  for 
your  health." 

Dolly  laughed,  but  showed  no  signs  of  relent- 
ing; whereupon  I  assured  her  that  in  some 
unconscious  moment  she  must  already  have 
accomplished  the  very  important  work  she  pro- 
posed. There  were  times,  I  averred,  of  which 
the  present  was  a  notable  instance,  when  I  had 
a  decidedlv  managed  feeling. 


THE    END. 


LONG  BEACH  LEAGUE 
F6lt  THE  HARD  OF  HEARING 


A     000  100  276     5 


! 


